International Tuberculosis Symposium "Toward Elimination of TB in the World - From Asia to Africa - "

July 18, 2008

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will host an international Tuberculosis (TB) symposium “Toward Elimination of TB in the World – From Asia to Africa –” in the afternoon of July 24 (Thu) and the morning of 25 (Fri) at the Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall of the United Nations University, Tokyo. This symposium will be co-sponsored by the Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) of the WHO (World Health Organization), Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA) and Stop TB Partnership Japan.(Attached is the program of the symposium.)
As a follow-up of TICAD IV (Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development) and the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, the Symposium will address specific ways to promote international cooperation on fight against TB and to strengthen health systems in developing countries.
The symposium will be attended by ; H.I.H. Princess Akishino, President of JATA, and Mr. Yuji Tsushima, Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Promoting “Stop TB Partnership”; Ms. Kyoko Nishikawa, Senior Vice-Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare ; Mr. Osamu Uno, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs ; and Dr. Shigeru Omi, Regional Director of the WHO/WPRO. They will address the opening remarks or keynote speeches. The panel discussions will be attended by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and JICA, as well as TB experts from a number of countries who are former trainees in Japan. It will also be joined by representatives from research institutes, international organizations and NGOs related to TB control.
Taking this opportunity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will also announce Japan’s action plan for international cooperation to fight TB, drawn up jointly with JICA, JATA and the Stop TB Partnership Japan.

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