Damascus– The Government of Japan announced a contribution of US$1 million to the United Nations Development Programme for debris removal in response to the earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria on 06 February 2023.

The Government of Japan’s Emergency Grant Aid contribution will enable UNDP to clear over 112,500 cubic meters of rubble (75,000 m3 North West and 37,500 m3 Government of Syria) in the most affected areas of Aleppo, Lattakia, Hama and Idlib governorates, over a period of six months.

A statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan stated that this is part of Japan’s emergency humanitarian assistance amounting to approximately US$27 million in response to damages caused in Türkiye and Syria by the earthquake. “With this assistance, the Government of Japan will implement humanitarian assistance activities for those seriously affected by the disaster in areas such as shelter, food, non-food items, early recovery (removal of debris, etc.), health and medical care, protection, and water and sanitation”.

“I welcome the announcement by the Government of Japan to be the first donor country to contribute, through UNDP Syria, with US$1 million to the larger debris removal project. Japan is truly a strategic and steady partner for UNDP” said Sudipto Mukerjee, UNDP Resident Representative in Syria. “Debris removal is a prerequisite for humanitarian response and recovery, and improved livelihoods,” he added.

UNDP will provide immediate support to the removal of debris impeding humanitarian access and basic community functionality, with a focus on key arteries and transport links in/to targeted areas. The removal of public debris will allow people to regain access to critical services, reduce the risk of buildings collapsing on them, and protect them from threat of UXOs. The Debris, once removed, will be transported to a safe location where it will be recycled.

As part of the UN’s response to the earthquake, UNDP is supporting: 1) Local level emergency coordination and rapid building safety assessment; 2) Debris removal for humanitarian access; 3) Provision of emergency energy; 4) Psychosocial support ; and 5) multi-purpose cash assistance, to support livelihoods.

The earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria caused one of the biggest disasters to impact the region in recent times. Over 6,000 people have been killed and more than 10,600 injured. The UN estimates that at least 8.8 million people have been affected by the earthquake across Syria, with significant damage to residential and public buildings and critical infrastructure, affecting both living conditions and livelihoods.

For further information, please contact:

Dania Darwish, Communications Specialist, Tel: 00963 (11) 6129811 | Mobile: 00963 989857937 – e-mail: dania.darwish@undp.org. For more information on UNDP – Syria see http://www.undp.org/Syria