Signing of Grant Agreement with UNICEF for Afghanistan: Contributing to stronger infectious disease prevention through a partnership with UNICEF
［Goal 3］ Good Health and Well-Being
2024.05.14
On May 14, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a grant agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Tokyo, to provide grant aid of up to 1,054 million yen for the Project for Infectious Diseases Prevention for Children.
This project will support the procurement of vaccines and vaccine quality control for routine immunization against infectious diseases and polio vaccination campaigns, thereby mitigating the spread of infectious diseases among women and children in Afghanistan.
Signing ceremony
A combination of internal instability and, across healthcare, limited access to facilities, inadequate quality of services, and a shortage of workers has led to Afghanistan having one of the highest rates of neonatal, infant, and maternal mortality in the world. Only about 36.6% of children aged 12–23 months have completed all vaccinations (UNICEF, 2022–23), highlighting the need to improve national vaccination coverage to prevent the onset and spread of childhood infectious diseases. Although the number of reported polio cases in 2023 remained low at 6, Afghanistan is one of only two remaining countries in the world (see note) where wild poliovirus is endemic, emphasizing the necessity of steadfast efforts towards polio eradication.
The routine immunization program under this project will provide vaccinations for infants under one year old against tuberculosis (approx. 770,000), polio (approx. 770,000), measles (approx. 540,000), and hepatitis B (approx. 380,000), while approximately 1.71 million women of childbearing age will receive vaccinations against tetanus and diphtheria. In addition, by supporting the implementation of polio vaccination campaigns for approximately 4.71 million infants under one year old, the project will contribute to the international community’s efforts to eradicate polio.
This project will contribute to the achievement of SDGs Goal 3 (Good health and well-being).
*As of April 2024. The other country is Pakistan.
Details for the project are provided below.
Basic project information
| Country | The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Project title | The Project for Infectious Diseases Prevention for Children |
| Maximum grant amount | JPY1,054,000,000 |
| Planned implementation period | 12 months |
| Executing agency |
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) |
| Target region | Entirety of Afghanistan |
| Specific project details (provisional) |
① Equipment procurement ・Procurement and provision of vaccines, syringes, and safety boxes for routine immunization against polio, tuberculosis, measles, hepatitis B, tetanus, and diphtheria. ・Procurement and provision of vaccines for polio vaccination campaigns. ② Soft component Technical support for quality management of vaccines and related activities. |
Related Link
- Signing of Grant Agreement with UNICEF for Afghanistan: Contributing to stronger infectious diseases prevention through UNICEF partnership (2022)
- Signing of Grant Agreements with UNICEF for Afghanistan: Contributing to stronger infectious disease prevention and enhancement of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) facilities in schools through UNICEF partnership
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