Japan announced it is providing $10 million to support alternative livelihoods for former poppy farmers in Afghanistan, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The funds, administered through the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan, will also support drug use prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and reintegration services for the most vulnerable communities. The targeted provinces for this aid are Badakhshan, Helmand, and Kandahar.
Yōko Kamikawa, Japan’s Foreign Minister, received a courtesy call from Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC, who is visiting Japan for the 11th Japan-UNODC Strategic Policy Dialogue.
“Prior to the meeting, the two sides signed and exchanged notes for the Grant Aid ‘The Project for Strengthening Counter-narcotics Capacities in Afghanistan (grant amount: 1.514 billion yen),” the statement reads.
