- An Exchange of Notes (E/N) concerning a general grant amounting to 1,186 million JPY in aid for the “Project for Infectious Disease Prevention for Children” was signed on 9 February 2014 in Kabul, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, between Mr. Hiroshi Takahashi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Afghanistan and Mr. Akhil Iyer, Representative of the UNICEF Afghanistan Country Office.
- According to the indicators used to measure basic health, Afghanistan ranks among the last in the world, even among the developing countries; and the infant and maternal mortality rates in particular are the highest in the world (The state of the world's children 2013, UNICEF 2013). Furthermore, Japan has long supported countermeasures against infectious diseases including polio-myelitis around the world, in cooperation with UNICEF and other partners, and is expected to continue to provide such international aid.
- The “Project for Infectious Diseases Prevention for Children” aims to provide vaccines for polio, tuberculosis and measles as well as the refrigerators and other equipment necessary for their preservation in all the areas of Afghanistan through UNICEF. It also promotes awareness of the importance of vaccination. Through its implementation, this project is expected to contribute to the prevention and eradication of the targeted infectious diseases, including polio-myelitis, and thereby to reduce infant mortality in Afghanistan.
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