Kathmandu, March 17:

The government of Japan yesterday decided to provide emergency assistance totaling about $4.8 million to help improve Nepal’s humanitarian situation and boost the country’s peace process.

Of the assistance, about $4.4 million will go to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the remaining $400,000 to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in response to the UN Common Appeal for Transition Support, states a Japanese embassy press release here.

According to the embassy, the assistance has been extended from the need for emergency measures to be taken for children who have been involved in the internal conflict and for women who have been suffering from the very poor medical services.

The assistance will go to return and reintegration of children associated with armed forces and armed groups and to provide essential health services for emergency-affected children and women as well as to deliver essential health care for women in the post conflict through mobile reproductive health camps, adds the release.

Besides this, Japan has extended personnel contribution to Nepal’s peace process by dispatching election experts to the United Nations and conducting training in Japan for staff members of Nepal’s Election Commission.

In terms of financial contribution, besides this emergency assistance, Japan has extended assistance for an election to

the constituent assembly including assistance to purchase 60,000 ballot boxes needed for the election. In addition, recently Japan also has provided grant assistance for increase of food production (about $ 2.5 million) and food aid ($ 2.6 million) to Nepal.