Japan, UN-Habitat join hands to support Afghanistan’s Community-Led Urban Infrastructure Program

The Government of Japan will provide a total amount of USD20,000,000 of grant assistance to Afghanistan through UN-Habitat for its Community-Led Urban Infrastructure Program in five cities (Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad).

The program responds to the urgent needs of recently displaced people, demobilized combatants and returnees through further empowering communities, enhancing their access to basic services and improving their livelihoods thereby enabling them to live in dignity.

UN-Habitat will address the urgent needs of those most vulnerable households through the establishment of Community Development Councils to upgrade underserviced areas in order to avoid disillusions and frustrations and reduce the risk that those households are falling back in illicit and insurgent activities. In total, approximately 236,000 people will benefit from this program.

UN-Habitat, with generous contribution from the Government of Japan, continues to support urban development by strengthening municipalities to deliver basic services through engaging communities and creating solidarity among citizens. UN-Habitat will work closely with the relevant organizations of Afghan Government such as Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) and Municipalities of those five cities.

Japan has been assisting Afghanistan’s nation-building efforts in various fields including security, education, health, culture, humanitarian assistance, agriculture, infrastructure and its capacity development. Cumulative Japanese assistance to Afghanistan since 2001 amounts USD 5.78 billion.