The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Emergency Assistance to Hold Emergency Loya Jirga
April 26, 2002

On April 26 (Fri), the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency assistance of 2,700,000 dollars to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the smooth implementation of the Emergency Loya Jirga to be held in Afghanistan.

The Emergency Loya Jirga to be held in Afghanistan in June this year will decide on the transitional administration which will take over the interim administration inaugurated on December 22 last year, based on the Bonn Agreement that was reached on December 5. However, the Afghanistan interim administration held by the Jirga still needs both administrative and financial support from the international community. Although the United Nations Mission to Support Afghanistan has been providing necessary technical support from the preparatory stage, the funds for the preparation and holding of the Jirga are not sufficient. In this situation, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative for Afghanistan, has requested the Government of Japan to extend necessary financial assistance. Considering an extremely important role that the Jirga will play in facilitating Afghanistan's political peace process and the strong need for it to be held in June based on the Bonn Agreement, Japan has decided to provide financial support for the air transportation of the Emergency Loya Jirga Special Commission members and international observers, and for the procurement of equipment and materials necessary for monitoring of the regional election process.

The assistance will be provided as part of the reconstruction assistance of up to 500 million dollars that the Government of Japan announced at the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan held in January this year that it would extend for the next two and a half years.