【Photo Diary】(1) 10-day tour of Switzerland, Sweden, the Philippines, Thailand and Bangladesh
I would like to share with you some of the photographs taken during my 10-day European and Asian tour that took me to Switzerland, Sweden, the Philippines, Thailand and Bangladesh from May 27 to June 5, 2024, in my capacity as chairman of The Nippon Foundation and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination.
In Geneva, Switzerland, I attended the 77th World Health Assembly－the WHO’s decision-making body－and met with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the health ministers and other representatives of various member states. My purpose was to assess the current state of the global fight against leprosy (Hansen’s disease) in each country and region in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and explore how to give fresh momentum to achieving our shared goal of a leprosy-free world.
In the Swedish capital of Stockholm, I met with the chairpersons of the Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) as well as Executive Director of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation.
Returning to Geneva, I attended a ceremony to present the 40th WHO Sasakawa Health Prize, which was established by my late father, Ryoichi Sasakawa, to recognize notable advances made in the promotion of primary health care throughout the world.
In Manila, the Philippines, I attended a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and visited the headquarters of the Philippine Coast Guard
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, where I visited after an overnight stopover in Bangkok, I talked with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Health and Family Welfare Minister Samanta Lal Sen and other government officials on the South Asian country’s goal of achieving zero leprosy by 2030.
I also discussed with the prime minister how The Nippon Foundation can help the Bangladesh government to relocate more displaced persons from Myanmar who are currently living in the densely populated Cox’s Bazar refugee camp to the island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal.
In Geneva, Stockholm and Manila, I met with current and past Sasakawa fellows that the foundation awarded scholarships to for their graduate studies.
[May 28, Geneva, Switzerland]
The institute is one of the 69 universities and consortia in 44 countries which the foundation has selected for the fellowship program since 1987 to support graduate studies in the humanities and social sciences. To date, about 17,000 people have received fellowships from the fund.
The Sylff program at the Graduate Institute, located near the WHO headquarters and UN office in Geneva, supports two postgraduate students each year, many of whom pursue careers at the UN and other international organizations, according to Sylff News.
Like many representatives from WHO member states, she agreed to pose for a photograph with a banner reading "Don't Forget Leprosy," a campaign that I initiated in 2021 to ensure that leprosy is not overlooked even amid the coronavirus pandemic.
She affirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to moving towards zero leprosy. The country has made progress in control of the disease, but the number of new cases is increasing and discrimination is deep-rooted. The Ministry of Health is seeking to address leprosy from all angles, including research, patient services, and community support, the minister said.
He reported that screening for leprosy has been completed in Majuro and Ebeye Island, the two most densely populated parts of the country. The Marshall Islands is composed of approximately 1,225 islands and islets spread out in two chains. Completing screening of all settled areas will take more time.
He affirmed that, in line with WHO’s global leprosy strategy for 2021–2030, Bangladesh aims to achieve zero leprosy by 2030. He is also eager to eliminate stigma and discrimination against persons affected by leprosy, and spoke positively about cooperating with me in our anti-leprosy campaign.
The minister, who assumed his post in January 2024, has direct experience helping leprosy patients with disabilities through his work as a plastic surgeon and burn specialist.
The Minister spoke of Indonesia’s successes and challenges. A good system of leprosy screening has been established, cases are being identified, and medical care is in place. However, after patients are diagnosed, it is difficult to ensure that they continue to receive and take their medication, he said.
(To be continued)