[Ministry of Foreign Affairs] [Friday, Nov 7, 2014]
Japan's Response to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
"We must stop this outbreak any way we can. Japan is determined to put forth its best in the fight against the Ebola virus disease.”
(Remarks by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the United Nations High-level Meeting on the Response to the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak, September 25, 2014)
Japan’s new response to the Ebola outbreak
On 7 November, the Government of Japan decided to provide medical and epidemic prevention equipment to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (USD 4.02 million for each government, USD 12.06 million in total), and to make a financial contribution to the UN Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund (USD 5.94 million) with a view to supporting the activities of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). This new contribution of USD 18 million marks the completion of the allocation of USD 40 million, which was announced by Prime Minister Abe on 25 September at the UN High-level Meeting on Response to Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in New York.
On the same day, the Government of Japan announced to provide further assistance amounting up to USD 100 million in a continuous and timely manner to respond more effectively to the Ebola outbreak, with a view to rebuilding the health system of the affected countries and stabilizing the societies of those countries, in addition to treating the infected patients and stopping the current Ebola outbreak.
For more details, please refer to the next article.
[Ministry of Foreign Affairs] [Friday, Nov 7, 2014]
Japan’s Response to the Ebola Outbreak (As of November 7, 2014)
Financial contribution
- In April, the Government of Japan decided to provide an emergency grant aid of approximately USD 520 thousand to Guinea via UNICEF.
- In May, USD 300 thousand was earmarked for counter-measures on the Ebola outbreak from Japan’s contribution to WHO.
- In July, approximately USD 57 thousand was earmarked for improvement of mother-child nutrition in the affected areas in Sierra Leone from Japan’s contribution to WFP.
- In August, the Government of Japan decided to provide an emergency grant aid of approximately USD 1.5 million to WHO, UNICEF and IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies).
- In September, the Government of Japan decided to allocate part of its WFP contribution to the Ebola-related activities (USD 1.1 million to Guinea and USD 700 thousand to Liberia).
- On September 25, Prime Minister Abe announced an additional assistance of USD 40 million.
- On October 3, the Government of Japan decided to allocate USD 22 million of this amount as emergency grant aid to WHO (USD 6 million), WFP (USD 6 million), UNICEF (USD 6 million), IFRC (USD 3 million), UN Women (USD 500 thousand) and UN OCHA (USD 500 thousand). As of this date, USD21.5 million has already been disbursed.
- On November 7, the Government of Japan decided to provide medical and epidemic prevention equipment to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (USD 4.02 million for each government, USD 12.06 million in total), and to make a contribution amounting to USD 5.94 million to the UN Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund for supporting logistic and medical institution sectors, with a view to supporting the activities of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). This new contribution of USD 18 million in total marks the completion of the allocation of USD 40 million, which was announced by Prime Minister Abe on September 25.
- On November 7, the Government of Japan announced to provide further assistance amounting up to USD 100 million in a continuous and timely manner to respond more effectively to the Ebola outbreak, with a view to rebuilding the health system of the affected countries and stabilizing the societies of those countries, in addition to treating the infected patients and stopping the current Ebola outbreak.
In-kind contribution
- In August-September, the Government of Japan announced to provide emergency relief goods (tents, blankets etc.) worth USD 920 thousand (USD 300 thousand to Sierra Leone, USD 310 thousand to Liberia, and USD 310 thousand to Guinea).
- In September, the Government of Japan announced to provide 20 thousand sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) donated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to Liberia and Sierra Leone. These PPE sets have already been delivered to these countries. Up to approximately 500 thousand sets of PPE in total are ready to be provided.
- On October 9, the Grant Contracts were signed at the Embassy of Japan in Ghana in order to donate to Liberia and Sierra Leone emergency vehicles and medical equipment and assist the transportation and maintenance of these items (worth approximately USD 800 thousand in total, or approximately USD 400 thousand for each country). Through this project, Liberia will receive 7 emergency vehicles and 48 beds, while Sierra Leone will receive 6 emergency vehicles and 47 beds.
- Subject to a request from WHO, the Government of Japan, in cooperation with Toyama Chemical Co. Ltd. (a subsidiary company of Fujifilm Holdings Corporation), will provide T-705 or Favipiravir, a medicine which is not yet approved for Ebola virus disease treatment. In case of emergency, even without a request from WHO, the Government of Japan will respond to particular requests on a case-by-case basis under certain conditions.
Fujifilm Corporation announced on October 20 that the clinical trials of the medicine would start in Guinea in mid-November and that, in preparation for larger-scale clinical use in case of the positive outcome of the trials, it decided to prepare a larger inventory in addition to the current stock of 20,000 tablets as well as active pharmaceutical ingredient roughly for 300,000 courses.
- On October 27, Nissan Motor Corporation decided to donate to Liberia some ambulances (based Nissan Patrol SUV) with more to be provided at a discount price.
- Toyota Motor Corporation is ready to donate its vehicles via WHO to the affected countries.
Personnel contribution
- Japanese medical experts participated in WHO missions on six separate occasions in Liberia and Sierra Leone, including the most recent dispatch of two experts to Sierra Leone on October 20. Currently 34 experts are ready to participate in WHO missions. More experts will soon participate in WHO missions in the affected countries.
- A Ministry of Defense officer was dispatched on October 21 to the
headquarters of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Germany to work as a liaison official. The second liaison official was dispatched on October 30.