Japan Provides $5.5 Million to UN for Humanitarian Project in Syria

Japan’s Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that the government will provide $5.5 million to a United Nations agency for a project aimed at improving living conditions in Syria.

According to Kyodo News, the grant agreement was signed on August 12 between Japan and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). The project targets Aleppo and Homs, two of Syria’s most war-affected cities, and focuses on rebuilding basic infrastructure in impoverished neighborhoods and informal settlements.

“With the humanitarian situation in Syria still severe, and more refugees returning home, helping people secure safe living environments has become an urgent issue,” the ministry said in a statement.

In a separate release, UN-Habitat stressed that the prolonged conflict and the major earthquakes that struck Syria and Türkiye in February 2023 have left informal settlements in Aleppo and Homs without access to essential services such as water, electricity, sanitation, and safe housing.

By the end of July, more than 746,000 Syrians had returned from neighboring countries, along with over 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), according to the Nairobi-based agency. The new project is expected to directly benefit over 81,000 people.

Japan, a leading donor to Syria’s humanitarian recovery, has contributed more than $21 million since 2022 to support UN-Habitat projects assisting vulnerable Syrian communities.