Japan gives grant worth rd.1.8M USD to improve life of disabled persons
Japan gave Romania a Policy and Human Resources Development (PHRD) grant to meet the technical assistance and human resources development needs worth about 1.8 million USD to protect the disabled persons more efficiently, through the improvement of the assessment system and a better information on such people, Labour Minister Mariana Campeanu told the launching ceremony, on Thursday June 7.
'Such an aid is welcomed in Romania and together with Japan's Ambassador to Romania Natsuo Amemiya and the director of the World Bank's Office in Romania Francois Rantrua, we are here to launch this technical assistance and human resources development program to support the disabled people. The Japanese Government offers us a grant amounting to about 1.8 million USD. This is the largest amount we received from Japan and I want to thank Mr. Ambassador, once more,' said Romania's Labor Minister
Mariana Campeanu explains the grant helps with the development of the public policies and a pilot project on the new services model starts first in three or four counties, and it is to use the revised assessment instruments and personnel plan, and backs up organization of workshops.
The new system increases the quality of the rehabilitation services and enables the access through curbing the implementation costs and introduces one single entrance point, which makes it more correct. In a briefing later, Minister Campeanu estimated a 15 percent drop in the costs.
Japan's Ambassador to Romania Natsuo Amemiya pointed out that Romania was selected as a destination of the grant, managed by the World Bank, from among several similar projects, worldwide.
'The project is aimed at the improvement of the policies and the institutional framework for the disabled people and was selected from a large number of other projects presented worldwide, being seen as very important for the Romanian society. It is the Labour Ministry in cooperation with the Finance Ministry and the World Bank to implement the project,' the Japanese diplomat said, adding that the Government of his country gave Romania direct financial support to develop fields such as energy, agriculture, healthcare and education, many times after 1999, and the most recent refers to the subway line to connect the Otopeni Airport to central Bucharest.
On the other hand, Japan's program for Policy and Human Resources Development managed by the World Bank came to Romania in 2000 and the money the Japanese Government gave, was ranging between 300,000 and 1.8 million euros and it supported the development of fields such as the healthcare, the agriculture, the administration, the environment and the minorities' protection, all benefiting from generous funds.
In his turn, World Bank's director in Romania Francois Rantrua pointed out that during his career got involved in several projects that Japan's Government granted generous funds and which the World Bank rounded up.
'We are extremely grateful to Japan's Government for going on the assistance even after the mishap in 2011,' said Francois Rantrua.
Likewise, he emphasized that very many people are to benefit from the Japanese grant and the social security reform began in Romania during the economic downturn and it has to be continued during crisis times, as well.
Labour Ministry's figures read that Romania numbered 687,596 disabled people on March 31, 2012 and 97.5 percent were not institutionalized being still looked after by their families or who live on their own.
According to Agerpres,the Japanese grant worth 1.717 million USD was approved on March 27, 2012 and its implementation's deadline is Sept 1, 2014.