The Ebola Battle

[Ministry of Foreign Affairs] [Tuesday, Oct 21, 2014]

"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. [ ... ] I also pledge to extend additional assistance totaling $40 million in order to reinforce the measures already announced."

(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 Assistance

Total funding to date: Approximately US$45M

Dispatch of experts in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West African countries (October 17, 2014)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press4e_000464.html
Emergency grant aid in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West African countries (October 3, 2014)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press4e_000448.html
Emergency Assistance to the Republic of Sierra Leone and the Republic of Liberia in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak (September 9, 2014)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press22e_000034.html
Emergency Assistance to the Republic of Liberia in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak (August 25, 2014)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press4e_000396.html
Emergency grant aid in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West African countries including the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of Guinea (August 15, 2014)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press4e_000392.html
Emergency grant aid to the Republic of Guinea in response to the Ebola Haemorhagic Fever outbreak (April 4, 2014)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press4e_000262.html

Japan's Position

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)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/af/af1/page3e_000237.html
Address by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Sixty-Ninth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (September 25, 2014)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/fp/unp_a/page24e_000057.html

Coordination with International Community

G7 Foreign Ministers' Statement on Ebola (September 25, 2014) (PDF)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000053661.pdf
Meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations (September 24, 2014)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/fp/unp_a/page1e_000034.html

[JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency] [Monday, Oct 27, 2014]

JICA Vice President Kiyoshi Kodera visited Washington, D.C., Oct. 9 and 10 for the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, participated in a number of side events, and met finance ministers of different countries as well as top officials of aid agencies including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Participating in a high-level meeting on Ebola

On Oct. 9, Kodera participated in the high-level meeting “Impact of the Ebola Crisis: A Perspective from the Countries,” co-chaired by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim; International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde; United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and African Development Bank President Donald Kaberuka. From the affected countries, Guinean President Alpha Condé participated in person, and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma joined via videoconference. A total of 28 donor/neighboring countries and international organizations, including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, were present, to discuss the current status of the damage, aid plans from each country and issues related to ongoing assistance.

Kodera introduced Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s commitment of US$40 million in assistance and approximately 500,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) at the United Nations General Assembly. He also touched on the fact that it took extra time to transport the 20,000 sets of PPE JICA provided, and pointed out the importance of coordination within the international community, including the private sector, for speedy and smooth assistance.

Video of the meeting is available on the World Bank website below.
Impact of the Ebola Crisis: A Perspective from the Countries (external link)
http://live.worldbank.org/impact-of-ebola-crisis

Serving as a panelist at an launch event for a synthesis report by Japan and the World Bank

On the same day, Kodera also appeared as a panelist with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization at a launch event for a global synthesis report of a multi-country study on universal health coverage (UHC, 1), co-hosted by the World Bank Group and the Government of Japan.

The event was held to commemorate the completion of a synthesis report entitled “Universal Health Coverage for Inclusive and Sustainable Development: A Synthesis of 11 Country Case Studies,” begun in January 2012 by Japan and the World Bank. It analyzes three aspects of progress and challenges related to efforts toward UHC: 1. health financing, 2. human resources for health, and 3. the political economies in 11 countries with different geographical and economical backgrounds (Indonesia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Thailand, Turkey, Japan, Bangladesh, Brazil, France, Viet Nam and Peru).

At the beginning of the event, Keizo Takemi, a member of the Japanese House of Councilors, started by saying words of appreciation to the World Bank and co-authors, and expressed gratitude for the World Bank’s global leadership and coordination on the Ebola outbreak.

A subsequent panel discussion focused on how to take advantage of the results of the research. Kodera said that research on Japan has looked at the actual mechanism of achieving the universal health coverage, and this could offer practical ways to share the system with individual developing countries. Further, he talked about the use in JICA projects of the results of research on other countries. At the end of the meeting, Taro Aso, deputy prime minister and minister of Finance of Japan, gave closing remarks.

The overview and actual reports are available online:
Universal Health Coverage for Inclusive and Sustainable Development (external link)
http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/publication/universal-health-coverage-for-inclusive-sustainable-development

Side event 'Wealth for Health'

The next day, Oct. 10, Kodera made another appearance as a panelist of a side event entitled “Wealth for Health: Financing Access for All.” In an active panel discussion on how to secure funding and progressiveness in providing health service to the poor, what kind of investment is required in the health sector and other topics, Kodera talked about the Japanese experience in achieving UHC, the current status of the government subsidy and financial revenues for social health insurances and public assistance program.

Note

1: The ability of all people to receive appropriate services related to health promotion, prevention, medical treatment and functional recovery at a cost they can pay.

JICA Vice President Kiyoshi Kodera speaks at a high-level meeting on Ebola. (Photo from the World Bank webcast) JICA Vice President Kiyoshi Kodera, left, appears as a panelist at a report launching event. Over 120 people attend the side event "Wealth for Health."