ISLAMABAD - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday welcomed a crucial contribution of $ 9 million from the Government of Japan, which will enable the continued provision of assistance to people displaced by conflict in NWFP. Coming at a time when additional funding is urgently needed, the donation will allow WFP to begin providing early recovery support, as people return to their homes amid widespread damage and few options for meeting their food needs. WFP is extremely grateful for this generous and very timely donation from Japan. Those who have already suffered the worst effects of war are now desperately in need of sustainable interventions that will help them to re-start their lives and livelihoods, said Wolfgang Herbinger, WFP Representative in Pakistan. This programme involves implementing a variety of food-based initiatives aimed at rehabilitating damaged community infrastructure in the conflicts aftermath. Family food rations will be provided to participants in agricultural and infrastructural reconstruction projects. Food rations will also be given to girls and boys enrolled in primary schools, helping students to resume their studies during this period of continued hardship. Similarly, pregnant and nursing women will benefit from the provision of nutritionally fortified food when attending medical facilities. While engaging people in activities that help to restore social and human capital as well as physical assets, we also ensure that their basic household food needs are met, said Herbinger. The WFPs assistance will help address the recovery challenges in volatile areas that share a border with Afghanistan. Over the past 10 months WFP has been providing life-saving food rations for up to 2.7 million displaced people. This latest contribution from the Government of Japan will allow early recovery activities to be implemented benefiting 1.6 million people. The donation will allow WFP to procure 12,000 metric tons of various foods produced and processed in Pakistan. Supporting crisis-affected people and communities in north-west Pakistan is one of the priority areas in our assistance policy. We are happy to be able to contribute, by helping WFP, to support those vulnerable people, said Mr. Chihiro Atsumi, Ambassador of Japan in Islamabad. Insufficient funding threatens to compromise WFPs ability to implement planned post-crisis assistance Almost $ 78 million are still required for early recovery assistance to continue until the end of the year. With commodity shortfalls expected from next month onwards, WFP urges other donors to follow Japans example.