1.    An Exchange of Notes (E/N) concerning a general grant amounting to 259 million JPY in aid for the “Project for Infectious Diseases Prevention for Children” was signed on 14 March 2013 in Abuja, Nigeria between Mr. Ryuichi Shoji, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Mr. Jacques Boyer, Deputy Representative, UNICEF Nigeria Country Office.

2.    This project aims to provide medical institutions, such as public health centers, in the northern areas of Nigeria with 400 solar-powered refrigerators for the preservation of polio vaccines through UNICEF. Nigeria is one of only three countries in the world (Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan) where wild strains of the polio-myelitis virus are still endemic. The final eradication of polio-myelitis in Nigeria is also one of the most important challenges for the international community because the virus disseminates from Nigeria to other countries.

3.    This assistance enables medical institutions to preserve vaccines at an appropriate temperature and secure vaccine transportation and preservation systems, and is ultimately expected to help Nigeria effectively and appropriately implement important vaccination programs.

 (* The foregoing is a provisional translation by Permanent Mission of Japan to the UN. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original press release in Japanese.)