Speech by State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Yutaka BANNO at the Third Voluntary Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

October 5, 2010
New York
(Japanese)

His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary-General and Chair of the Third Replenishment,
Mr. Richard Manning, Vice Chair of the Third Replenishment,
and Professor Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honor to attend the Third Voluntary Replenishment Conference with you today.

Two weeks ago at the United Nations High-Level Plenary Meeting of the Millennium Development Goals, Heads of states and governments, international organizations along with the civil society renewed their commitment to achieve the MDGs by 2015. At the meeting, Prime Minister Kan announced Japan's "promises" including the assistance of five billion US dollars over five years beginning in 2011 in the field of health where progress is particularly slow. Further, to demonstrate an ideal way of assistance to the international community in the field of maternal and child health, Japan proposed an assistance model "EMBRACE," which stands for "Ensure Mothers and Babies Regular Access to Care".

To fight the three infectious diseases, as Prime Minister Kan promised at the UN meeting, I hereby announce that the Government of Japan will make contributions to the Global Fund amounting to 800 million US dollars in the coming years from 2011.

The Global Fund has been playing an outstanding role in the fight against the three diseases by achieving excellent results such as saving the lives of 5.7 million people. On behalf of the Government of Japan, I reiterate our sincere tribute to the Global Fund's work. Japan will further reinforce its efforts to deliver the necessary assistance to the people in need as well as to promote human security through the Global Fund as one of its founders and as a major donor. Under our Global Health Policy, Japan will aim at enhancing the complementarity amongst its bilateral assistance and the programs supported by Global Fund and other multilateral organizations, thereby increasing their synergy effects.

Today, the importance of the Global Fund is recognized by all, however, with the world struggling with unprecedented economic recession, the resources of the Global Fund need to be utilized even more effectively and efficiently than before. The Global Fund also needs to contribute to maternal and child health through the fight against the three diseases and in the longer term, stable the provision of health services. Japan will proactively engage itself in the effort to improve the mechanism of the Global Fund by working with other donors, implementing countries, international organizations and the civil society.

Further, Japan hopes that countries that achieved remarkable economic development and are now actively working on development challenges as well as emerging economies that have already been blessed with the benefits of the Global Fund will be actively engaged in the Global Fund as donors.

Let me conclude my speech by wishing the further success of the activities of the Global Fund based on the partnership among donors, implementing countries, the civil society and the private sector.

Thank you very much.