Japan will contribute around $3 million to a global fund providing education for refugees, as Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa pledged more support for the displaced amid continuing wars in Ukraine and the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip. "We cannot significantly improve the situation by just providing food, water, and shelter to helpless people. We must embrace a more future-oriented approach", Kamikawa expressed at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.
Japan's contribution to "Education Cannot Wait", an international fund that provides education to those affected by emergencies and crises will be given to support children in Ukraine, which has been under attack by Russia since February 2022, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Japan is helping refugees and displaced persons become independent through education and vocational internships. We strongly boost them to develop their abilities so they can contribute to peace and reconstruction at home, Kamikawa stated in her speech.
The second meeting of the international forum for refugees comes amid the intensifying war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas since October and the conflict in Ukraine, which have triggered concerns about a surge in the number of refugees worldwide. The three-day meeting, hosted by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and Switzerland, is joined by leaders and ministers from various countries and representatives of international institutions. Kamikawa told countries hosting refugees "are reaching the limits of their capacity to manage with the increased and prolonged forced displacements around the world" and promised that Japan will "continue to work to reduce the pressure on these countries".
