The Japanese government is to contribute a further JPY1.035 billion
(US$ 9 million) to enable IOM to continue to deliver reintegration
support to former combatants, amnestied political prisoners and
unemployed youth in high-risk parts of Aceh.

The money, which will fund a new "Programme for Peace Building
Assistance in Conflict-affected Communities in Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam" starting in November 2007, will initially target some
5,000 unemployed young people and local businesses in
conflict-affected areas.

The initiative follows an earlier IOM Post Conflict
Reintegration Programme (PCRP) launched in Aceh in 2005 which has
already helped 3,044 former combatants and 1,911 amnestied
political prisoners to find jobs and start new lives after three
decades of civil war.

The PCRP, which followed the Helsinki Peace Accords of August
2005 that ended the long-running conflict between the Indonesian
government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), used an Information,
Counselling and Referral Services (ICRS) model to reach clients,
resulting in an active IOM presence in some 2,192 villages
throughout Aceh.

From the early days of the peace process, IOM has worked closely
with Indonesian government counterparts in the Ministry for Laws
and Human Rights (DepKum&HAM) and the Department of Social
Affairs.

During the negotiations for the Helsinki Peace Accord, IOM was
designated by the Indonesian government to act as the lead
international organization for the design and implementation of
short-term reinsertion and full reintegration assistance in the
framework of the peace process in Aceh.

The new Japanese-funded programme will use the same ICRS model
to work with the provincial government's Aceh Reintegration Agency
and local communities to provide job opportunities for unemployed
young people at risk of drifting into crime and reigniting the
conflict.

Despite high expectations following the Helsinki Accords and the
flood of international aid generated by  the December 2004
tsunami, slow economic recovery, high rates unemployment,
particularly among young people, and unacceptably high levels of
violent crime remain a major challenge in Aceh.

The new programme will target conflict-affected districts
including South Aceh, South East Aceh, Gayo Lues, Central Aceh,
Bener Meriah, Bireun and North Aceh.

For further information please contact:

Jihan Labetubun

IOM Indonesia

Tel: (62) 8111907028

E-mail: "mailto:jlabetubun@iom.int">jlabetubun@iom.int 

Akio Nakayama

IOM Japan

Tel: +81 3 3595.248

E-mail: "mailto:anakayama@iom.int">anakayama@iom.int