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Canada grants 4bn/- in support of refugees
2006-05-12 12:56:01
By Gerald Kitabu
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Canadian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Dr Andrew McAlister (R), shakes hands with the Minister for Home Affairs, Cpt. (rtd), John Chiligati as he leaves the Ministry`s headquarters in Dar es Salaam yesterday. (Photo: Khalfan Said). |
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Canadian government yesterday announced a contribution of USD 4 million (about 4.4bn/-) in response to the World Food Programme’s Great Lakes Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation appeal.
The relief and recovery operation will help Tanzania support the refugees in its territory and those being repatriated by providing them with food aid.
At a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Canadian High Commissioner, Andrew McAlister said Tanzania has an admirable record of support for refugees from the Great Lakes Region over the years and Canada was proud to play its part.
He said Tanzania had also played an important leadership role in seeking solutions to the instability in the region, including its chairmanship of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region.
Canada is the Co-Chair of the friends of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region.
The WFP operation encompasses Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania, which have experienced massive movements of refugees and in the case of Burundi and Rwanda, internally displaced people.
He said the operation will allow the three countries to provide food aid to vulnerable populations, including refugees, returnees, internally displaced people and undernourished women and children.
On his part, the Minister for Home Affairs, Captain John Chiligati commended the Canadian government for the support which he said was intended to reduce a big burden off Tanzania shoulders in housing the refugees.
He said that repatriation was still going on and that Tanzania still had a big number of refugees that need similar support.
’Since the exercise of repatriation began in 2003, about 215,000 have been repatriated, and about 390,000 are still in the country,’ said the Minister.
He said Tanzania still had 200,000 refugees in Mpanda District at Mishamo and Katumba, and in Urambo District at Ulyankulu who arrived there in the 1970’s.
He said the government had tried to provide them with areas for settlement but the lacked basic social services such health, education and water which the international community would have supported.
He therefore called on the international community to extend its support in the exercise just as it does to other countries in the world facing the refugees problem.
Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has been a long-time development partner of Tanzania, having invested more than one billion Canadian Dollars over 40 years in projects ranging from transportation and education to agriculture and safe water supply.
Canada’s current bilateral development programme in Tanzania focuses on primary education, health, HIV/Aids, private sector development and good governance.
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