Japan provides $1.2m for mine-clearing projects

KABUL (Pajhwok): The government of Japan on Thursday announced a new contribution to two demining projects in Parwan, Kapisa and Nangarhar provinces.

A signing ceremony for these agreements was held at the Embassy of Japan in Kabul, where Chargé d' Affaires Keiichi Hara signed grant contracts with heads of two Afghan organisations.

Fazel Karim Fazel, director of the Organisation for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR), and Arifullah Azimi, managing director of the Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA) inked he contracts with the diplomat.

The ceremony was witnessed by government representatives including Mohammad Shafiq Yosufi, director of the Afghanistan Mine Action Coordination (DMAC), and Ahmad Riaz Sediqi, director of NGO Affairs at the Ministry of Economy.

The projects will be implemented under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GAGP) scheme. The projects include both mine clearance and conducting mine-risk education (MREs) to targeted population of the provinces.

Under these projects, more than 1.6 KM² of minefields and battle fields will be cleared, according to a statement from the Japan embassy.

More than 14,000 households will be saved from landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs) under the projects, which will help transform lands marred by mines into productive livelihood resources.

Keiichi said mine clearance set a basic condition for development such as infrastructure and agriculture, which contributes to the improvement of the economic situation in Afghanistan.

Mud