JAPAN has donated $360,000 (900m/-) to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the provision of safe shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene for recently arriving Congolese refugees in Kigoma Region.

UNHCR Tanzania is however facing a funding challenge and it requires $8m to respond to the DRC emergency,” she stated, appealing to global agencies and private donors to support efforts to ensure refugees obtain essential needs.

Misawa Yasushi, the ambassador of Japan, said at the signing event in Dar es Salaam yesterday that since early last year, more than 14,000 asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been received in Tanzania.

Praising the government for its exceptional generosity and hospitality in supporting the refugees.

“Currently, more than 240,000 refugees mainly from Burundi and DR Congo are living in two refugee camps in Tanzania. In this regard I would like to commend President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration for its significant efforts in supporting refugees,” he said.

To mitigate the burden of the host country; the government of Japan has been extending humanitarian assistance for refugee operations, he said, noting that in recent years, the world has faced a number of new humanitarian crises., Citing the situation in Sudan, Ukraine and Palestine he said that as a result the need for humanitarian assistance has expanded dramatically.

“Given the scale of the overall crisis, the assistance provided by the government of Japan is very limited. However, we commit ourselves to continue to provide steady and assistance to refugee operations to the full extent possible,” he stated, underlining that an emergency grant of up to $500,000 provided last October was also based on these considerations.

Mahoua Parums, the UNHCR country representative, thanked the people of Japan for their valuable and timely contribution to assisting people caught up in the DRC emergency.

It is enabling the agency to assure the physical protection and provision of essential items for the new arrivals to live in a dignified way even in displacement.

She said Tanzania has harboured refugees for decades and has remained a peaceful hub for thousands of refugees from nearby states, noting that the 

UNHCR and various other agencies appreciate this commitment to provide decades’ long safe harbour for populations forced to flee their countries.

“UNHCR Tanzania is however facing a funding challenge and it requires $8m to respond to the DRC emergency,” she stated, appealing to global agencies and private donors to support efforts to ensure refugees obtain essential needs.

UNHCR and the government work hand in hand with various partners in supporting the new arrivals with emergency shelter, supplying tents, blankets, sleeping mats, and acute daily needs like soap and mosquito nets.

“In emergencies, access to shelter, water, sanitation outlays and hygiene facilities is paramount to reducing mortality and morbidity, enhancing refugees’ protection, dignity, and quality of life,” the representative added.