Promoting Global Health and Human Security during TICAD V

The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) and its Friends of the Global Fund, Japan (FGFJ) initiative, organized a series of events during the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V). The events, most of which were organized in partnership with other major domestic and international organizations with an interest in AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, focused on the role that Japan has played—and should continue to play—in promoting Africa’s economic development through its leadership in the global fight against communicable diseases. There was a general sense of hope and optimism in the events, as the investments that have been made so far to fight communicable diseases are producing results and saving lives. But precisely because we are seeing returns on those investments—which have led to a decrease in the number of deaths in children due to malaria, scientific discoveries that help us prevent HIV transmission, and innovations that have made tuberculosis easier and faster to diagnose—we cannot be complacent and shift support away from communicable diseases at this critical moment. The events organized by JCIE/FGFJ attracted high-level participation from the Japanese government, giving those responsible for making decisions about Japan’s contributions to the Global Fund and other global health initiatives a chance to hear from African heads of state and ministers, along with heads of the world’s major health organizations, about the importance of continuing these investments. The excitement generated by these events and the sense of common purpose among the participants reflected how far we have come so far in the fight against communicable diseases and are hopefully illustrative of where we are going.