(2) Health, Welfare, and Population

A large number of people living in developing countries do not have access to the basic health services that are usually available in developed countries. In addition, because immunization systems and sanitary environments have not been established, more than 8.1 million children of under-five die every year due to causes of infectious diseases, nutritional disorders, and diarrhea.(Note 6) Moreover, over 350,000 pregnant women lose their lives every year without getting emergency obstetric care by skilled birth attendants like midwives.(Note 7)

Meanwhile, the world's population continues to increase, and according to "World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision," the world population was expected to reach 7 billion on October 31, 2011. In general, the rate of the population growth is higher for especially poorer countries that lead further poverty, unemployment, food shortages, delayed education, and environmental deterioration. From the perspective of solving these problems it is pressing challenges to take measures of maternal and child healthcare, reproductive health including family planning and HIV/AIDS, which can have an enormous impact on population issues.

<Japan’s Efforts>

Over the past years, Japan has attached great importance to global health as one of the global challenges that directly relate to human security (see the figure on page 32). Japan has led international discussions on health system* strengthening. Specifically, at the G8 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit in 2000, infectious diseases were taken up for the first time as a major item on the agenda of the Summit. This led to the establishment of new funding mechanisms such as the "Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria" in 2002.

In 2005 Japan formulated the "Health and Development Initiative" which aims to help achievement of the health-related MDGs (see the figure on page 10). Further, at the July 2008 G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, the "Toyako Framework for Action on Global Health" was released under agreement by the G8 nations, asserting the importance of strengthening health systems. Moreover, at the G8 Muskoka Summit (Canada) in June 2010, under the Muskoka Initiative Japan announced that it additionally provides, up to ¥50 billion, approximately $500 million (as of June 2010), over next five years from 2011 in the field of maternal and child health that is slowly progressing to meet the target of MDGs.

Bangladesh women learn about basal body temperature as part of the "Safe Motherhood Promotion Project" (Photo: Sayaka Oka)

In addition, Prime Minister Kan presented the "Japan's Global Health Policy 2011-2015" at the September 2010 UN Summit on the MDGs, and announced that Japan would provide $5 billion of aid (including a contribution of up to $800 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund)) in the coming years from 2011, for the purpose of contributing to achievement of the health-related MDGs. After the Summit, the MDGs Follow-up Meeting was held in Tokyo in June 2011. At that meeting, the breakout session of health discussed and compiled the results into the documents of the health-related MDGs 4, 5, and 6 (4: reduce child mortality, 5: improve maternal health, 6: combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases) and other policies (health systems, diabetes, cancer and other non-infectious diseases), bearing in mind the Development Goals after 2015 (post-MDGs). The three pillars of Japan's global health policy are (i) maternal newborn 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 pandemic influenza. Japan is striving to provide assistance based on the "EMBRACE model" (Note 8) (see "Terminology" on page 33) particularly for maternal and newborn child health, which is not on track to meet the MDGs. Under this new policy, Japan has formulated strategy for implementation of efficient support in Ghana, Senegal, Bangladesh, and other countries. This strategy encourages mutually complementary collaboration with international organizations and other development partners, and sets Japan's sights to provide support to enable partner countries tackle issues and achieve the health-related MDGs. Under this policy, we aim to work with international organizations and other development partners to save approximately 430,000 maternal lives and 11.3 million children's lives across partner countries. In particular, by strengthening measures against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in making further financial contributions to the Global Fund and Japan’s bilateral assistance, Japan is working to provide effective assistance to reduce 470,000 deaths by AIDS, 990,000 deaths by tuberculosis, and 3.3 million deaths by malaria across partner countries, in cooperation with other development partners (see page 80 for details regarding Infectious Diseases).

Children learn how to wash their hands in Vanuatu (Photo: Yuki Jimbo)

Notes:

(6) Source: "Child mortality rate drops by a third since 1990" http://www.unicef.org/media/media_56045.html (accessed November 2, 2011) “State of the World’s Children 2010” (UNICEF)

(7) Source: "MDG 5: improve maternal health" http://www.who.int/topics/millennium_development_goals/maternal_health/en/index.html (WHO)

(8) EMBRACE model: Ensure Mothers and Babies Regular Access to Care See “Terminology” on page 33.

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