Japan Platform (JPF; Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), an emergency humanitarian aid organization, has launched a response program to provide emergency food assistance to countries in the Middle East and Africa in response to the deteriorating global food shortage aggravated by the Ukraine crisis. Please find below the program overview and other information about this response.

JPF has begun accepting donations for this response today. According to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the number of people facing a severe food crisis is expected to spike from 276 million at the beginning of 2022 to a record high of 345 million due to the Ukraine crisis.* Urgent food assistance is especially needed in the Middle East and Africa, and we ask for your support to deliver prompt and effective assistance to these regions.

WFP News Release (July 20, 2022) "WFP welcomes US$100 million from Japan to respond to global food crisis"

1) Overview

2) Background

Information provided below summarizes what JPF has reported in the July 12 press release: "Responding to the food crisis caused by the deterioration of the situation in Ukraine, with the Japanese government pledge of approximately 1 billion yen, Japan Platform Providing Emergency Food Assistance to Middle Eastern & African Countries: Representing Japanese civic aid organizations and mobilizing the power of Japanese NGOs."

• As serious food crises continue to be observed in many parts of the world, JPF member NGOs have been providing food assistance through their respective aid programs in countries in the Middle East and Africa.
• On June 27, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida announced at the G7 Summit that Japan would contribute funds to address the global food crisis caused by the situation in Ukraine. On July 5, the Japanese government decided to provide a total of approximately US$200 million in assistance to address global food security. As JPF had already been providing food assistance to the Middle East and Africa, it was decided that approximately $10 million (or 1.08 billion yen), out of around total US$200 million in aid, would be allocated to JPF on behalf of Japanese NGOs.
• At JPF, we have confirmed the urgent need for food assistance in the region due to soaring prices and stagnation of grain exports from Ukraine, and on July 22, 2022, the Response to Food Crisis in the Middle East and Africa has been launched.