Statement by H.E. Ambassador ISHIKANE Kimihiro, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, at the Annual Session of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board: UNFPA Segment

Mr. President,
Executive Director,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The world has dramatically changed just over a few months. I would first like to express my utmost respect to all the Member States as well as UNFPA staff and partners who are making every effort to control, contain and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic despite facing various risks and difficulties.

The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a human security crisis that threatens not only human lives but also people’s livelihoods and dignity. This challenge requires an inclusive approach based on human security that leaves no one behind. Japan has been promoting universal health coverage on such grounds, but we are all the more committed to tackling the ongoing challenges in close collaboration with UNFPA and the international community.

While we welcome the progress made as indicated in the mid-term review, we expect those trends will be negatively affected by COVID-19. We recognize the need for immediate response to the pandemic and would also advise UNFPA to plan a long-term strategy for building back better.

We share the view that sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights should be promoted, particularly for pregnant women vulnerable to COVID-19. At the same time, we would also like to point out that another group that is directly and severely affected by COVID-19 is older persons. We believe that UNFPA, as a population agency, has great potential to play an even more meaningful role in this area. For example, we congratulate the UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office for publishing a technical guidance note on older persons in relation to COVID-19 and recommend that it be properly utilized. We see this policy guidance as a step in the right direction and stand ready to share our experience in this area. We would also like to reiterate the need to meaningfully incorporate population ageing and low fertility into the next strategic plan of UNFPA.

Finally, allow me to also share our concerns on the possible negative impact of COVID-19 on fertility. While we would expect to observe an increase in the number of unexpected pregnancies in the short term, we foresee a potential decrease in fertility over the longer term as socio-economic conditions deteriorate. As these factors could greatly affect demographic trends in all parts of the world regardless of their stage of development, we strongly expect UNFPA to play a leading role in this area as well.

I thank you.