Speech Transcripts

I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, the CEO of AUDA-NEPAD; Dr. Qu Dongyu, Director General of the FAO; Ms. Henrietta Holsman Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF; Dr. Mamta Murthi, Vice President of the World Bank Group; and Ms. Gerda Verburg, the SUN Movement Coordinator. I extend a warm welcome to all the participants to this high-level event today.

The Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021 is an important opportunity for a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, international organizations and civil societies, to present their nutrition commitments. In order to achieve collective impact, stakeholders should work together to implement these commitments. With this in mind, Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, organized this event with the aim to share our commitments and advance our partnership.

As the first speaker, I would like to share JICA's basic nutrition policy.

JICA has long prioritized contributions to Human Security - a concept which means all individuals are entitled to freedom from fear and want, and the right to live in dignity. We believe governments, and the international community, have the responsibility to support these rights. Nutrition is the basis of human life and health, therefore is one of the most important foundations for Human Security. All individuals must be able to live free from all forms of malnutrition.

Currently, we have seen that the COVID-19 pandemic threatens Human Security, including nutrition. However, we must also look to nutrition to prevent such infections. Proper nutrition is essential for supporting human immune system. Therefore, having a balanced nutrition is extremely important to prevent and mitigate the spread of infectious diseases.

For these reasons, JICA is strongly committed to the common agenda of improving nutrition. We will continue to strengthen our efforts to address the "double burden of malnutrition" in developing countries, while focusing on vulnerable populations, including women and children.

JICA's nutrition cooperation aims to empower people, organizations, and societies of each country. We will also give attention to their characteristics and needs, and value country ownership. By doing so, we will work with each country to make steadfast, autonomous, and sustainable nutrition improvements. Also, JICA will continue to take a multi-sectoral approach to improve overall nutritional situation through various sectors, such as health; agriculture and food; water, sanitation and hygiene; and education. Furthermore, JICA will leverage its various assistance tools, including training programs and scholarships for postgraduate studies in Japan, dispatching experts and volunteers, and extending ODA loans and grant aid. We will also collaborate with diverse associates, including Japanese private companies, that have technologies and expertise related to nutrition.

The most distinctive feature of our approach, however, is its development cooperation based on Japan's own experiences. Since Meiji era, Japan has worked diligently to overcome food shortages and eliminate undernutrition. When World War II was over, Japan experienced terrible economic and societal damage. Nonetheless, Japan has overcome the damage and is now the world's leading developed country in life expectancy and low obesity rates. By implementing a wide range of initiatives across various sectors, Japan succeeded in achieving these results.

For example, in the health sector, Japan has been conducting the National Health and Nutrition Surveys and nutritional guidance activities. In the agriculture and food sector, Japan improved rural livelihoods, diversified agricultural production and promoted balanced diets. In the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, Japan enhanced national water access and improved people's hand-washing habits. And in the education sector, Japan has introduced food and nutrition education, or "Shokuiku."

JICA implements its development cooperation by sharing such Japanese best practices. For example, JICA has introduced the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, which is originated in Japan, to partner countries with its customization according to the countries' context. The handbook enables women who are pregnant, or recently gave birth, to continuously record health conditions of their child and their own. The handbook includes sections to record the nutrition status of mothers throughout their pregnancy and weaning period, which help health workers provide mothers with important nutritional guidance.

JICA has also contributed to introducing school lunches in Africa through its School for All projects, by which teachers, parents, and local communities collaborate for better educational environment. Beginning as a series of local initiatives, Japan's school lunches eventually expanded into a national program prior to World War II, with government support. The program then resumed in the post-war period with international assistance. Since then, the program has continued to evolve for the betterment of children's diets. Starting this month, JICA will also help introduce the current Japanese-style school lunch program in Asia.

Naturally, JICA's activities alone will not be able to improve global nutritional status. Therefore, we also work closely with international partners across a range of initiatives. To tackle malnutrition in Africa, in 2016, AUDA-NEPAD and JICA jointly launched the "Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa," or IFNA. We have also worked with the FAO, and other relevant UN agencies, on many initiatives, including the "Coalition for African Rice Development" or CARD. These initiatives support the development of sustainable food systems, which was highlighted at the UN Food Systems Summit. Additionally, UNICEF and JICA have collaborated at the field level on shared priorities, including enhancing maternal and child nutrition. We also communicate regularly with the World Bank to promote investments in human capital, which are essential to securing Human Security. Finally, many countries that we are working with, as well as their development partners, belong to SUN Networks. Given the many partnership opportunities at this Summit, we look forward to working with your organizations to strengthen international collaborations.

The basic ideas of JICA's nutrition policy, which I just explained, are summarized in the 10-points "JICA Nutrition Declaration." This set of ideas will be one of the pillars of Japanese Government's commitment to be provided at this Summit. Based on this declaration, JICA will further promote its efforts, and strengthen partnerships among various stakeholders, including the participants here today, in order to realize our shared goal of "Nutrition for All."

Thank you for your attention.