On October 18, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Grant Agreement (G/A) with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for a grant of up to 749 million yen for the “Health System Strengthening Program through Cold Chain Equipment Improvement (UNICEF Collaboration)” in Afghanistan. Agreement (G/A) for a grant of up to 749 million yen for the “Health System Strengthening through Cold Chain Equipment Improvement Project (UNICEF collaboration).
The people of Afghanistan are facing unprecedented economic and humanitarian crises, including poverty and shortages of food and medicine, since the political upheaval in August of last year, and support from the international community is essential. As for the health situation, since the first case of new coronavirus infection was confirmed in February 2020, as of October 2022, the cumulative number of infected people is approximately 200,000 and the number of deaths exceeds 7,800, and the actual number of infected people is estimated to be much higher due to inadequate testing systems and reporting systems for test results. In addition, other infectious diseases such as measles are also prevalent, increasing the demand for vaccinations in general. On the other hand, there are many issues to be addressed, including the aging and shortage of related equipment and materials, such as refrigerated vehicles, cold rooms, refrigerators, and freezers to maintain appropriate temperatures during transport and storage of vaccines, lack of electricity at healthcare facilities, and improvement of regional and gender disparities in access to vaccine information and vaccination centers.
This project contributes to basic humanitarian needs in Afghanistan by supporting the procurement of equipment and materials for cold storage and transport of vaccines and awareness-raising activities related to vaccination, thereby ensuring the sustainable implementation of vaccination against new coronavirus infections and other diseases and contributing to the prevention of the spread of infection. (Sustainable Development Goals) Goal 3 (health and well-being for all). The project is expected to contribute to the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases in Afghanistan by ensuring that 24.6 million people are vaccinated against new coronaviruses and 8 million children under 5 years old are routinely immunized.
The details of the project are as follows
© Source JICA