May 22, 2024
On May 20, 2024, the Business Leaders’ Coalition for Global Health (led by Ken Shibusawa, CEO, Shibusawa and Company, Inc., hereinafter “the Coalition”), in which Eisai is a member, visited Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. Yoko Kamikawa, and handed her a "Request to Increase Support for Global Health through Corporate Activities and Official Development Assistance (ODA)". Sayoko Sasaki, Eisai’s Vice President in charge of ESG, also participated in the visit.
As the environment surrounding international development is changing dramatically, the Japanese Government has established the Advisory Panel on New Financing for Development under the leadership of Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. Kamikawa, and discussion about the new form of Japan's ODA is underway.
In its letter of request, the Coalition requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take the following five actions:
- Further increase Japan’s total amount of ODA expenditure in the field of global health.
- Clearly position support for the field of global health as a strategic pillar of diplomatic policy. In addition, in the upcoming policy for cooperation with Global South countries, clearly state that Japan will actively utilize offer-type cooperation in the field of global health in collaboration with local corporate activities.
- Strategically expand contributions to international organizations in the field of global health while considering the opinions of Japanese companies. In particular, call for active pledges for financial contributions to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which will be holding the Vaccine Investment Strategy (VIS) meeting between the end of this year and next year. In addition, strengthen Japan's communication capability in international organizations.
- Establish and strengthen a governmental support mechanism to promote procurement of products and services from Japanese companies by international organizations in the field of global health.
- Reflect the findings and outcomes of the Advisory Panel on New Financing for Development in the policy for collaboration with Global South countries and the Basic Policy 2024.
For detailed information of the event, please click here (in Japanese only)
For full text of the letter of request, please click here (in Japanese only)Eisai’s initiatives for improving access to medicines toward the elimination of NTDs and malaria go beyond the framework of CSR activities, and instead aim to create long-term value and social impact based on our corporate concept, human health care (hhc). We aim to contribute to relieving anxiety over health and reducing health disparities of people at risk of contracting neglected tropical diseases and those suffering from diseases by strengthening our global partnerships.
About the Business Leaders’ Coalition for Global Health
The Business Leaders’ Coalition for Global Health (supporting and actively working in the fields of healthcare, especially public health and infectious disease control), led by Ken Shibusawa (CEO, Shibusawa & Company, Inc.) is a volunteer organization of Japanese Companies and others contributing to the field of global health. It is composed of executives from a wide variety of fields, including not only the healthcare sector, such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices, but also finance, trading, digital, supply chain, and more. Haruo Naito, Eisai’s CEO, is a member.
The mission of the Business Leaders’ Coalition for Global Health is to create a future where everyone has access to the medical care they need*1 and people around the world are healthy.
Sharing the same vision of "working together to support the healthy lives of people around the world from Japan*2,” a group of interested companies has come together to promote global health action, and set the following four missions:
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Place global health at the heart of international cooperation
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Clearly realize the potential of Japanese companies and take the lead
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Build the Japan brand
- Nurture and produce human resources who can thrive on the global stage
Official website: https://gh-leaders.jp/
*1 This does not refer to medical care in the narrow meaning, but rather to a comprehensive health foundation that includes health and medical care. There is need for adequate access to appropriate medical care.
*2 "Made With Japan" is a collaboration between governments, companies, academia, and civil society both in Japan and overseas.
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