We Are Tomodachi Winter 2018

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19cross-sectoral efforts covering such fields as nutrition and water and sanitation in addition to health systems strengthening. We propose that individual countries should establish or strengthen platforms to promote UHC. These platforms, to be under the ownership of individual governments, will support the development of plans and capacity building needed to achieve UHC in individual countries through organic cooperation among stakeholders, including international organizations, development partners, and private-sector players. In order to flesh out this proposal, Japan, together with partners including the World Bank, WHO, and UNICEF, has launched the “Tokyo Joint UHC Initiative,” and we have already started activities in pilot countries. Going forward, we will share the knowledge gained from pioneering cases with more countries and organizations. The third challenge: Continually monitoring progressThe third aspect is the continual monitoring of progress. The report jointly issued at this Forum by WHO and the World Bank represents an epoch-making initiative in that it for the first time officially measures progress towards the achievement of UHC using the uniform indicator endorsed by the United Nations. We will support future UHC Forums to encourage the continuation and development of such monitoring. The fourth challenge: Securing domestic and foreign financesFourth, securing sustainable financial resources for In Ghana in Africa, the nutritional status of infants is improving through a supplement called KOKO Plus that was developed by a Japanese company and its partners. The supplement is added to infants’ complementary food during the cooking process. See “We Are Tomodachi” Japan in Africa Edition 2016 (https://www.japan.go.jp/tomodachi/2016/japan_in_africa_edition_2016/cuttingedge_technologies.html). © The Ajinomoto FoundationThe Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research is a preeminent facility for research on infectious diseases in West Africa. The institute is named in honor of Japanese bacteriologist Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, who conducted pioneering research into the cause of yellow fever. See “We Are Tomodachi” Japan in Africa Edition 2016 (https://www.japan.go.jp/tomodachi/2016/japan_in_africa_edition_2016/fighting_infectious_diseases.html).UHC is an urgent task. It is important for each government, including not only health ministries but also finance ministries, to mobilize domestic resources in a stable manner and to complement them with international assistance in an effective manner. The fifth challenge: InnovationAs the fifth and final aspect for us to address, I would like to stress the importance of innovation. In Africa, an innovative action has been launched employing drones using Japanese technology to help provide healthcare services to remote locations in Africa that have until now been out of reach. Under the TICAD framework, we will share these innovative experiences and promote support for global health. Japan’s assistance pledgeIn order to promote swift progress in these areas in a comprehensive manner, Japan pledges to provide UHC assistance worth a total of 2.9 billion dollars. Through this package, Japan will strongly support the efforts of countries and organizations.Forum resultsUHC Forum 2017 was attended by world leaders who exercise leadership in the field of global health. I am pleased to report that the Forum resulted in an exchange of insights that will set forth the future direction for the promotion of UHC.