Japanese ambassador visits Bab Sinjar housing complex in Mosul
The Japanese Ambassador to Iraq Futoshi Matsumoto. Photo: UN-Habitat
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) received the Japanese Ambassador to Iraq, Futoshi Matsumoto, in Bab Sinjar housing complex in west Mosul, Nineveh governorate, according to a press statement issued by the UN-Habitat.
The social housing complex is constructed by UN-Habitat Iraq under a project called ‘Support to Reconstruction and Peacebuilding of Liberated Cities in Iraq’ funded by the Japanese government, the statement elaborated.
UN-Habitat successfully completed the project of Bab Sinjar housing complex in Mosul and the official handover process to the municipality of Mosul has been completed in January 2023, the statement mentioned.
UN-Habitat did not just implement the project, but also provided the technical assistance to the Iraqi government, including providing the guideline of beneficiary selection based on the socio-economic vulnerability, the statement clarified.
Approximately 2,300 returnees currently reside in nine buildings of 324 units. The great collaboration between the Iraqi government and UN-Habitat was made and the project is seen as one of the best practices for durable solutions towards the returnees, according to the statement.
“The project would help the returnees rebuild their lives and support their smooth reintegration. The government of Japan remains committed to standing by the people of Iraq,” Matsumoto said.
With a contribution of more than 56 million USD since Japanese fiscal year 2014, the Japanese government has been a vital partner to UN-Habitat’s Iraq Program, the statement explained.
With the generous funding from the government of Japan, UN-Habitat constructed and rehabilitated more than 1,100 houses accompanied with basic infrastructure for approximately 10,000 returnees in Nineveh governorate since 2018, the statement added.