(As delivered)

 

Statement by Dr. Eiji HINOSHITA, Counsellor

at UNICEF Executive Board, Annual Session 2014

under the Agenda Item 6(a)

"Draft country programme and common country programme document (Venezuela)"

 

 

Mr. President,

 

         Japan supports the current draft Country Programme Document (CPD) on Venezuela and would like to make some brief comments on it.

 

         Japan has been providing assistance to Venezuela bilaterally in several fields such as maternal health, HIV/AIDS, health services, primary education and the cultivation of aesthetic sentiments, and also to the children of poor families and those in poor districts and the socially vulnerable, including women, while also stressing the importance of assistance to women.

 

         Furthermore, in the current draft, we recognize that UNICEF includes these same fields of assistance, as based on the point that the Government of Venezuela puts its emphasis on assistance to infants, youth and women, and place especially high priority on the prevention of unmet needs among those at an early age and the reduction of maternal mortality, while also stressing the importance on gender equality.

 

         In this regard, Japan highly values this draft, and we hope this project will be adopted promptly and request UNICEF to implement it in an efficient and effective manner in order to improve children’s life.

 

Thank you, Mr. President