UNIS/INF/311
13 January 2009
Re-issued as received
UNIDO and Japan to Help
Disadvantaged Communities in Indonesia
VIENNA, 13 January (UN Information Service) - Japan will allocate over two million USD for "Realizing Minimum Living Standards for Disadvantaged Communities through Peace Building and Village Based Economic Development" in Indonesia, a project to be implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The project will be funded through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security.
This project is expected to rebuild and promote the local economy in Maluku Province, contributing to social cohesion and reconciliation. During the 1999-2004 conflict, 400 thousand people have been displaced with significant detrimental effects on the local economy and poverty levels. There is therefore an urgent need to rebuild and strengthen communities to prevent future conflict and improve living standards.
Among the activities to be implemented under the project are: the establishment of Village Productivity Groups (VPGs) to promote ownership and ensure long-term sustainability; providing VPGs with craft skills and technologies to add value to products and ensure access to markets; increasing incomes and strengthening the local economy; training the communities to design and implement locally-driven economic development programmes; counselling to mitigate the risk of conflict; and, organizing workshops and seminars to raise awareness on hygiene and health.
UNIDO is currently implementing several projects financed by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security with the support of the Japanese Government. These include projects which aim to reduce the humanitarian deficits of war-affected rural communities, promote auxiliary income-generating activities (Afghanistan) or empower poor rural communities (Malawi). They also support sustainable livelihood recovery among conflict-affected populations (Sri Lanka).
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UNIDO is a specialized agency of the United Nations system that works towards improving the quality of life of the world's poor by helping countries achieve sustainable industrial development. UNIDO views industrial development as a means of creating employment and income to overcome poverty. It helps developing countries and economies in transition to produce goods they can trade on the global market. It also helps provide the tools - training, technology, and investment - to make them competitive. At the same time, it encourages production processes that will neither harm the environment nor place too heavy a burden on a country's limited energy resources. UNIDO has 172 Member States and has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. See also www.unido.org
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For more information, please contact:
George
Assaf
UNIDO Spokesperson
Telephone: (+ 43-1) 26026-3849
Email:
g.assaf@unido.org
