# The Outlook for New Global Health and Education Policies

## Section 2

Japan has been working on the following issues under its new global health and education policies.

### 1. New Health Policy

Up to this point, Japan has attached great importance to global health as one of the global challenges that directly relate to human security. Japan has led international discussions on health system strengthening.

In recent years, Prime Minister Kan presented the “Global Health Policy 2011-2015” at the September 2010 UN Summit on the MDGs, and announced that Japan would provide $5 billion in assistance to the field of health (including an initial contribution of up to $800 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria) over 5 years starting from 2011, for the purpose of contributing to achievement of health-related MDGs.

The three pillars of this new policy are (i) maternal and child health, (ii) measures against the three major infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria), and (iii) response to public health emergencies, including polio and new strains of influenza. In the field of maternal and child health, which has particularly lagged behind in progress towards the MDGs, Japan aims at providing assistance based on the EMBRACE model. $ ^{*3} $

## $ ^{*} $ EMBRACE model

Assistance for pregnant women to ensure seamless treatment, both prenatal and postnatal. Regular checkups for pregnant women, treatment for newborns at hospitals that have the appropriate equipment and personnel, improvement of access to hospitals, and vaccinations, etc., are provided in cooperation with the international community.

## * GAVI Alliance (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization)

An innovative partnership amongst major players in global immunization that aims at saving children's lives and protecting people's health by increasing access to immunization in poor countries. The alliance includes the key UN agencies, vaccine industry, bilateral aid agencies and major foundations.

Under this new policy, Japan has been working with other stakeholders including international organizations in a mutually complementary manner in Ghana, Bangladesh, and other countries, to provide support to enable partner countries tackle issues and achieve the health-related MDGs. In particular, in addition to the aforementioned financial contributions to the Global Fund, Japan steps up complementarity between the Global Fund’s activities and Japan’s bilateral assistance, with the aim of furthering progress in MDG6 concerning the three major infectious diseases.

In addition, Japan has made its first contributions to the GAVI Alliance $ ^{*4} $ in an effort to achieve the maximum results through increased access to immunization in poor countries. Japan has also been working closely with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other stakeholders towards global polio eradication through providing loan as well as grant assistance to support immunization campaigns against polio. (See page 60 for Health and page 80 for Infectious Diseases.)

In Syria, a health worker of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer measures a villager's blood glucose level and conducts health management (Photo: Katsuaki Takahashi)

Note 3: EMBRACE model: Ensure Mothers and Babies Regular Access to Care (EMBRACE) model Note 4: GAVI Alliance: The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI)