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Nippon Foundation

Website: http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/en/

UNFC and Nippon Foundation signed MOU

nippon foundation

 

Background

The Japanese government has been supporting the ethnic peace process through development assistance focusing on improvement of people’s livelihoods.

In June of 2012, the Japanese government appointed Sasakawa Yōhei, the chairman of the Nippon Foundation as the Ambassador for the welfare of ethnic minorities in Myanmar to coordinate its assistance for the ethnic peace process. The Japanese foundation has been working closely with the UNFC on their plans for the peace process. They were also requested by the UNFC to act as a foreign mediator during negotiations with the government.

Representative

mr yohei sasakawa

Mr. Yohei Sasakawa

Curriculum Vitae Blog

Humanitarian Assistance

nippon foundationNippon Foundation donated $3M emergency aid and to support education and health care development in rebel-controlled areas, beginning with an initial aid package of $300,000 and the monitoring of its distribution. U Aung Min said that the Japanese government eventually plans to provide another $300M in support for refugee relief programs, $60M of which will come directly from the Nippon Foundation. The aid package was officially launched on Dec. 22, 2012 in Mon state.

December 22, 2012: NMSP
$70,000 worth of emergency supplies. included 50 tonnes of rice, medical supplies for hospitals and 500 boxes of traditional medicine.
January 12, 2013: PNLO
Donated 1200 bags of rice
February 12, 2013: KNU
US$30,000 of emergency supplies to displaced people in Kayin State. 70 tonnes of rice​

Articles:

Clarification on Media Reports About the Nippon Foundation’s Humanitarian Aid to Myanmar 2013.02.21

Nippon Foundation Conference Raises Hopes for Peace in Myanmar 2012.10.19

 

Interviews:

‘Trust-building Is Vitally Important’ Irrawaddy – Tuesday, March 26, 2013

UNFC Cooperation

unfc cooperation

Meetings:

Peace Mediation

peace mediation20/02/2013: UNFC-Govt meeting; Chiang Mai, Thailand​
07/12/2012: CNF-Govt Meeting Myanmar Peace Centre, Yangon

Timeline of events

April 24, 2012: Three UNFC Central Committee members met with the Japanese Nippon Foundation and some government officials in Tokyo to discuss the ongoing conflict and peace talks with the Myanmar government.

​June 2012: Sasakawa Yōhei was appointed as the Japanese government’s goodwill ambassador for the welfare of ethnic minorities in Myanmar. During a trip to Myanmar the same month, Yōhei met with President Thein Sein and National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Sept. 23, 2012: The Nippon Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the UNFC for the relief plan.

Oct. 6, 2012: The Nippon Foundation signed a MOU with the Myanmar government allowing them to carry out humanitarian aid relief in the ethnic areas.

Mid-October, 2012: A twenty member UNFC delegation, with representatives from 10 ethnic minority groups, worked out the details of the relief plan with the Nippon Foundation during the Conference on Emergency Humanitarian Aid to Myanmar Ethnic Groups in Tokyo. This was followed by a press conference at the Nippon Foundation’s head office where they presented an outline of the plan on Oct.18.

Dec. 22, 2012: The project was launched during an official ceremony in Mon state capital Mawlamyine, during which representatives from the foundation gave emergency supplies worth $70,000 to the New Mon State Party (NMSP). The supplies included 50 tons of rice, medical supplies for hospitals and 500 boxes of traditional herbal medicine.

Jan. 12, 2013: Nippon Foundation donated 1,200 bags of rice to Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) peace group at Taunggyi Hotel in Taunggyi, Shan state.​​

Projects Implemented by the Nippon Foundation Group in Myanmar (as of January 2013)

Year No. of projects Budget (US$)
1976–2011 37 19,812,870
2012– 25 28,865,300

Breakdown of Projects from FY2012 (April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013)

Purpose Budget (US$) Launched
Health
1 Provide emergency food and medical support to internally displaced people 3,000,000 December 2012
2 Implement medical services for residents of remote areas (mobile clinic) 5,000,000 September 2012
3 Distribute prosthetic limbs for residents of isolated areas 2,500,000 January 2013
4 Establish a prosthetist/ orthotists training center 6,000,000 January 2013
5 Distribute traditional medicine boxes 700,000 Ongoing
6 Support a medical clinic on the Thailand-Myanmar border 95,000 Ongoing
7 Support fundraising activities of the medical clinic on the Thailand-Myanmar border 20,000 November 2012
8 Offer training on cultivation of medicinal plants 500,000 January 2013
9 Donate used welfare vehicles 1,000,000 Vehicles arrived in Yangon in September 2012
Support for the disabled
10 Offer leadership training and establish self-help groups for the disabled 73,300 Ongoing
11 Prepare for the holding of an international arts festival for the disabled 30,000 Ongoing
12 Assist the Institute on Disability and Public Policy 100,000 2013
13 Establish an international network to provide secondary education for the disabled in the ASEAN region Planning 2013
14 Support tertiary education for the visually impaired 100,000 2013
15 Build an educational center for children with disabilities 1,800,000 2013
Education
16 Assist school construction to provide regional development and agricultural instruction (Shan state) 700,000 Ongoing
17 Construct schools and put in place facilities for health and sanitation education (Rakhine state) 5,000,000 Ongoing
18 Regional development through school construction and (Ayeyarwady state) Planning 2013
19 Hold an international workshop to educate female leaders 25,000 Preparation stage
Training for public officials
20 Train public officials 156,000 Ongoing
21 Invite Myanmar members of Parliament to visit Japan to study its political system 116,000 Ongoing
22 Support the chairing of the ASEAN Summit 250,000 Ongoing
23 Offer training of state government officials 1,500,000 2013
Other
24 Dispatch skilled volunteers Planning Preparation stage
25 5th ASEAN Traditional Medicine Conference 200,000 September 2013

Total Amount of Rice and Medicine Delivered (As of October 31, 2013)

Items (A) Budget (B) Amount delivered (B)/(A)%
Rice (US$) 2,676,037 1,245,302 47%
Medicine for clinics (US$) 633,829 134,423 21%
Total (US$) 3,309,866 1,379,725 42%

Amount of Rice and Medicine to Be Delivered to Each Area (as of October 31, 2013)

State/Region No. NSAGs area Rice Medicine
Budget (kg) Amount delivered to date (kg) budget (units) Amount delivered (units)
Shan State 1 SSPP/SSA 478,625 100,000 0 0
2 RCSS/SSA 300,000 303,120 14 3
3 PNLO 98,915 69,990 19 3
4 LDU 47,089 8,190 46 9
5 PSLF/TNLA 336,352 0 2 0
6 WNO 109,873 19,125 20 4
Kayah State 7 KNPP 344,656 300,000 121 25
Kayin State 8 KNU 1,106,185 936,920 150 24
Mon State
Tanintharyi Region
9 DKBA 120,000 120,000 0 0
10 KNLA PC 120,000 120,000 0 0
11 NMSP 338,915 252,810 33 17
12 KPDF (KNDF) 15,000 15,000 0 0
Bago Region 13 KNLA Kon-phe 30,000 30,000 0 0
Rakhine State 14 ALP 103,898 27,000 18 3
15 ANC 239,407 75,225 0 0
Chin State 16 CNF 209,312 120,000 0 0
Sagaing Region 17 NSCN-K 60,000 60,000 0 0
Kachin State 18 KIO 2,116,109 0 0 0
Total 6,174,337 2,557,380 423 88