(Check Against Delivery)
Statement by H.E. Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa
Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations
At the Open Debate of the Security Council
On the Ebola Outbreak in Africa
18 September 2014
Madame President,
I would like to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation for your initiative in convening today's open debate on one of the most important crises of today: the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. Given the significance of the draft Council Resolution S/RES/2177(2014), Japan has joined the co-sponsors of the Resolution.
In the current difficult circumstances, I would like to express Japan's deepest sympathy to the families of the ever-growing number of victims of Ebola, and to the people and Governments of the affected countries; especially Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
These three countries are all in a post-conflict stage, and are now at the crucial juncture of consolidating peace and ensuring long-lasting stability. In this regard, we are aware of the importance of preventing a public health crisis such as this outbreak from turning into a peacebuilding crisis.
It is therefore important to coordinate our actions at the international level to rapidly address this global health crisis. To this end, Japan is very grateful to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his leadership in mobilizing and scaling-up support and commitments from the international community to overcome this crisis. I would also like to pay tribute to the efforts of the many healthcare workers who are laboring under very difficult conditions on the ground.
Madame President,
I would like to share with you Japan's response to this emergency:
First on Japan's financial and in-kind contributions.
We have so far provided US$5 million for West Africa, including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, in cooperation with WHO, UNICEF, WFP and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
My Government dispatched Japanese medical doctors specialized in infectious diseases to Liberia and Sierra Leone four times, through the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.
Most recently, Japan decided to provide 20,000 infection protection suits for healthcare workers in Liberia and Sierra Leone. According to WHO, this equipment is indeed very much needed on the ground. We hope these contributions will help reduce the number of infections among healthcare workers. We remain ready to provide more.
Secondly, Japan is ready to provide a new medication to cope with Ebola.
The use of the medication known as T-705, or "Favipiravir", is expected to be effective as a Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) against Ebola. This medicine is an experimental drug developed by two Japanese companies; Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd. and FUJIFILM Corporation. We are working with WHO, pharmaceutical companies and other countries so that this medication can be put to use as soon as possible.
Thirdly, over the long term, we will continue to support African countries' own efforts in improving their resilience against public health crises. Strengthening Africa's social and economic resilience is one of the priorities of Japanese policy towards Africa through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, otherwise known as the TICAD process.
Providing comprehensive strategic assistance aiming at strengthening the disease prevention and detection capacities of Africa is one of the primary objectives of TICAD. An excellent example is the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Ghana. It is one of the most important medical research institutions in West Africa, capable of conducting laboratory tests for the Ebola virus.
Madame President,
In closing, I join other speakers in expressing our hope that this Ebola outbreak will be quickly put under control. I would like to reiterate Japan's determination to take an active role in combating this global threat.
I thank you, Madame President.
