The Japanese government provided US$ 5 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support a Livelihood Development Programme in North and East," a UNDP statement said.

The funds will be channeled through UNDP's Transition Recovery Programme, and will directly improve the lives of approximately 100,000 people living in the North and East.

The livelihood development programme aims to support traditionally productive sectors that were damaged in the conflict, such as agriculture, fisheries, livestock and small industries; promote alternative income sources and related skills development for small groups or whole communities; construct livelihood-related community infrastructure, such as access and transport roads, marketing centres and water and sanitation systems; and promote social cohesion by strengthening community and individual empowerment and peace-building.

The project will also provide skills training in alternate livelihoods in order to promote alternative income sources and help to identify untapped markets and opportunities through an economic survey of the targeted areas.

The livelihood development project will also place a strong emphasis on women beneficiaries where, the identification of needs will be based on a gender aggregated data. Further, alternative livelihood activities, infrastructure construction activities and skills training will be designed and developed to ensure women's participation as well as empowerment.

The Signing of the Exchange of Notes between the Government of Japan and UNDP concerning the grant for this project took place at the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development in Colombo on March 4, 2008 between Kiyoshi Araki, Ambassador of Japan and Douglas Keh, UNDP Country Director.