Event

September 12, 2016

Event Report: GHIT Fund Side Event at TICAD IV

 

 

GHIT Fund hosted event on the sidelines of the 2016 Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which took place in Nairobi, Kenya on August 26. TICAD is a major global economic policy forum initiated by Japan in the early 1990s with the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Africa, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the World Bank. TICAD now plays a critical role in facilitating the implementation of African development initiatives under the dual principle of African ownership and international partnership.

 

In honor of the tremendous role of health in African development and the Japan-Africa partnership, Japan also presents its prestigious Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize at TICAD, which honors individuals with outstanding achievements in the fields of medical research and medical services to combat infectious and other diseases in Africa that contribute to the health and welfare of all humankind.

 

The GHIT Fund, Japan’s flagship global health R&D initiative, aligns with TICAD and the Noguchi prize to highlight the importance of global health R&D to broader Japan-Africa collaboration, and to further integrate global health R&D into Japan’s internationally renowned global health activities. Honorable Yasuhisa Shiozaki, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare for the Government of Japan provided keynote speech about Japan's leadership in Global Health R&D and partnerships between Japan and Africa. Discussions at the GHIT panel session focused on the different aspects of successful R&D work in global health, in particular the participation of African experts and country capacity to deliver life-saving products to those who need them. Distinguished speakers included Dr. Awa Marie Coll-Seck (Minister of Health and Social Welfare for the Republic of Senegal), Dr. Seth Berkley (CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance), Dr. Alex Coutinho (Executive Director of Inshuti Mu Buzima Chairman of the Board of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative), Dr. Mandeep Dhaliwal (Director of the HIV, Health and Development Group within UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Program Support), and Sir Brian Greenwood (Manson Professor of Clinical Tropical Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine). 

  

The event report is available.