A major symposium examining East Asian regional cooperation in the fight against AIDS and other communicable diseases was held on June 30, 2005, in Tokyo in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the Kyushu-Okinawa G8 Summit. At the 2000 Okinawa Summit, leading members of the international community first publicly acknowledged the need to mobilize significant resources to address the spread of communicable diseases, and this idea eventually led to the establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
In his address, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged greater international cooperation in battling the spread of AIDS in Asia and announced that Japan is dramatically raising its commitment to the Global Fund to US$500 million. Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who chairs the FGFJ, and Tommy G. Thompson, honorary chair of the Global Fund and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, called for more intensive and widespread societal engagement in responding to the challenges of communicable diseases in Asia. Meanwhile, Global Fund Executive Director Richard Feachem and other top leaders commented on a series of research papers analyzing country-level responses to the spread of AIDS in Asia and explored ways to promote greater regional cooperation in tackling the spread of communicable diseases.
More than 100 government, business, philanthropic, academic, and civil society leaders from around the world took part in the symposium, which was organized by the FGFJ; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Funding for the conference was generously provided by the Open Society Institute, the United Nations Foundation, and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Conference Report
East Asian Regional Response to HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria [PDF; 1.1MB] (FGFJ, English and Japanese, February 2006)
Agenda
OPENING REMARKS
- Tadashi Yamamoto, Director, Friends of the Global Fund, Japan
- Richard Feachem, Executive Director, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
KEYNOTE ADDRESSES
- Yoshiro Mori, Former Prime Minister of Japan; Chair, Friends of the Global Fund, Japan
- Tommy G. Thompson, Honorary Chairman, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
SPECIAL REMARKS
- Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan
SESSION 1: NATIONAL-LEVEL CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES IN EAST ASIA: REPORTS FROM PROJECT RESEARCHERS
SESSION 2: INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES TO THE REGIONAL CHALLENGES: REPORT FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, AND CIVIL SOCIETY NETWORKS
- Tadao Shimao, President, Japan Foundation for AIDS Prevention; Board Member, Friends of the Global Fund, Japan (moderator)
- Prasada Rao, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
- Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Trustee, Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations
- Stephane P. Rousseau, Regional Coordinator for GFATM Issues, Western Pacific Regional Office, World Health Organization
SESSION 3: MEASURES FOR ENHANCING REGIONAL COOPERATION
- Richard Feachem, Executive Director, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- Mitoji Yabunaka, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
- Jack C. Chow, Assistant Director-General, World Health Organization
CLOSING DINNER Hosted by Ichiro Aisawa, Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan
