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JAPAN DONATES US$1 MILLION TO UNHCR RELIEF EFFORT IN PAKISTAN

October 21, 2005

ISLAMABAD, October 21 (UNHCR) - The government of Japan has donated US$1 million to UNHCR's relief efforts in Pakistan, a generous and timely contribution to rush urgently needed tents to earthquake victims before the onset of winter.

The donation will allow UNHCR to buy and transport more shelters to desperate people in areas of northern Pakistan that have been devastated by the October 8 earthquake.

"It's a race against time. Winter is almost here and people are sleeping in the open. We have to act fast, and we urge the international community to help generously too," said His Excellency Mr Nobuaki Tanaka, Ambassador of the Japanese embassy in Islamabad.

"UNHCR is grateful to the government of Japan for this timely contribution," said the UNHCR Representative in Pakistan, Guenet Guebre Christos. "We've moved in tonnes of relief items from our warehouses around the world. But the winter will be long and harsh, and we need more funds to replenish our stocks to help these homeless people."

Japan is the UN refugee agency's second-largest donor, contributing US$82 million in 2004. Of the over $94 million donated so far this year, $2 million has gone to support UNHCR's work for Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

UNHCR and other UN agencies are working together in a cluster system under the coordinated UN response to the earthquake in South Asia. UNHCR has been tasked with camp management, and is involved in other clusters like emergency shelter, health, protection, food and nutrition.

As coordinator for camp management, the refugee agency needs $22 million to provide relief items and to help the Pakistan government set up temporary camps where needed. In addition to the Japanese donation, UNHCR has received pledges of $2.57 million from Sweden and $300,481 from Italy.