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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
(202) 712-43202000-244
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 12, 2000Contact: Gabrielle Bushman
Washington, D.C. - Top level officials from Japan and the U.S. met today and reached a historic agreement pledging the two countries to use their combined strength to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic and address other infectious diseases.
The two countries announced they will send a team of technical specialists to Tanzania early next year, to focus their efforts on stemming the AIDS epidemic and other infectious diseases, and improving maternal and child health services in that country. Approximately 1.3 million Tanzanians are infected with the HIV virus, and over 1 million children have been orphaned due to AIDS. Infant mortality is also one of the highest in East Africa.
In concluding his discussion with Mr. Yutaka Iimura, Director General of the Economic Cooperation Bureau in Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, J. Brady Anderson, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development remarked that "It is crucial that the U.S. and Japan work together to fight the AIDS pandemic. The developing world is in the midst of a crisis because of AIDS. It is only through cooperation like this that we will be able to begin to turn back the tide of AIDS."
Today's agreement was the next step in a long history of cooperation between the governments of Japan and the United States. The U.S. - Japan Common Agenda is a commitment between the two countries to jointly address common concerns and issues. There are 18 initiatives to the Common Agenda.
The U.S. Agency for International Development and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs have worked together on fighting infectious diseases for the past seven years, under the framework of the Common Agenda. Today's announcement was an extension of that partnership. In the past, the U.S. and Japan have worked together around the globe on health issues including polio eradication, malaria control and family planning.
In 1997, Japan and the U.S. worked with the Zambian government to develop an "Integrated Malaria Initiative." In just three years, this went from a pilot project to a large-scale intervention, primarily because of the resources from Japan and the U.S. The coordinated effort will help over 1.2 million people this year. By working together, the U.S. and Japan were able to have five times the impact any one donor would have had.
The U.S. and Japan also coordinate their efforts on global polio eradication. The two countries help fund critical polio activities in countries such as Bangladesh and Kenya while also helping increase the number of polio surveillance volunteers. Both agreed to shift resources to South Asia and Africa after the successful eradication efforts in the Americas and Western Pacific.
The U.S. Agency for International Development is the U.S. government agency that provides development and humanitarian assistance worldwide.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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