Embassy of Japan in Canada

Ambassador Okuda Attends the Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach Summit

From May 28-30, Ambassador Okuda attended the Saving Every Women, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach Summit hosted by The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, in Toronto, Ontario with Mr. Hiroshi Kato, Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Director for JICA Research Institute. The summit was attended by numerous foreign dignitaries at the ministerial level as well as representatives from the private sector and non-profit foundations, including: The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada; The Honourable John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs; The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development; The Honourable K. Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister for the Status of Women; His Excellency Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania; Mr. Ban Ki-moon Secretary General of the United Nations, , Dr. Margaret Chan Director-General, World Health Organization; Dr. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group; Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of USAID; and Melinda Gates, Co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The theme of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) summit was “Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach.”  Summit participants discussed a wide range of issues on how to achieve United Nations Millennium Development Goals 4 (to reduce child mortality) and 5 (to improve maternal health)

On May 29, Mr.  Kato, Vice President of JICA participated in a breakout session as a panelist to discuss improvements to newborn health. During the session, Mr. Kato discussed Japan’s efforts in improving newborn health, citing specific examples of JICA’s experience in this area.

Ambassador Okuda and Mr. Kato took this opportunity to hold talks with The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development, and a number of other dignitaries.