Japanese Government

US$.22m for immunization

This donation, amongst others, will support the development and use of digital immunization tools to monitor coverage of an upcoming measles rubella vaccination campaign and monitoring in health facilities and at the community level across 22 provinces. More than one million children under five years will be indirectly impacted by this. 

K13m Grant Assistance

The funding will be for road construction and maintenance projects in West Sepik, Manus, Milne Bay and Enga provinces

Japan’s Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Nakahara Kuniyuki said, “Japan is committed to working together with PNG for the development and the welfare of its people.

“Japan believes that road is one of the most important infrastructure to develop the country.”

UNICEF welcomes Japan’s contribution

The US$5.0 million is to help strengthen the capacity of vaccine cold chain logistics in support of the country’s COVID-19 response efforts.

Provincial health authorities and health facilities in 17 provinces in the country will benefit from this contribution that will help support vital cold chain logistics required to safely store and provide COVID-19 vaccines and also support the routine immunization program.

This will help prevent the stock out of essential vaccines for children in the country.

Specifically, the funding will contribute to:

Japan donates cold chain

The cold chain equipment were delivered to the Department of Health yesterday at the Health Facility Standard Branch in NCD.

‘”The cold chain equipment come under an agreement signed in March between the Japanese Government and UNICEF to extend an Emergency Grant Aid of approximately 3 million US dollars or equivalent 324 million Japanese Yen,” said Shinichi Maruo – Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Japan.

Pilot project to be handed over

This pilot project is an adaptation measure to climate change, which has seen solar powered desalination plants installed in selected atoll islands in Manus since its launch in May last year.

Manus is a maritime province with many atoll islands, where water shortage becomes an issue during the dry season.

The rise of sea level is also affecting the drinking water source of rural communities but the technology of converting water from beach wells, into fresh drinking water, using solar power can be the ultimate solution for atolls in the country.

New desalination project for Manus

Secretary for Planning and Monitoring Hakaua Harry says this was a regional initiative project of which the government of Japan allocated US$66 million (K206m) for the Pacific Island countries during the PALMS 6 meeting in 2009 in Japan.

Out of the US$66 million, US$4 million was allocated to PNG (K12m).

The fund is managed by Pacific Environment Community (PEC) Fund through the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat in Fiji.

Hakaua says the purpose of the fund is to mitigate the effects of climate change, which is in fact a global issue.