Japan has announced a contribution of 7 million U.S. dollars to UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and World Food Programme (WFP) to support the Afghan Refugees and host communities in Pakistan, officials said Thursday.

Pakistan has been home to millions of Afghans for more than 37 years and continues to host the world's largest protracted refugee population, the UNHCR says.

Japan has allocated 3 million dollars to UNHCR for implementation of its priority interventions to provide legal assistance to refugees in the country and its programmes in education, healthcare and vocational training, a WFP statement said in Islamabad.

It will, in addition to providing legal assistance to an estimated 22,500 refugees in Pakistan, support an estimated 50,000 persons from the refugee population and the communities hosting them in accessing health care and education, as well as some 210 youths who will be undergoing vocational training courses throughout Pakistan.

The official announcement was made by Pakistan's Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Takashi Kurai during a press event held in Islamabad.

The remaining 4 million dollars to WFP to support 82,389 beneficiaries including 42,874 children of 6-59 months of age and 39,515 pregnant and lactating women over the period of six months.

Source: Xinhua