AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN'S RESPONSE TO THE AI

UNCLAS TOKYO 001447 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MLS ALEX BARRASSO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO EAGR EAID KFLU JA FAO WHO BM SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN'S RESPONSE TO THE AI OUTBREAK IN BURMA REF: STATE 43023 ¶1. (U) ESToff met with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Economic Cooperation Bureau Aid Planning Division Deputy Director Taro Yamamoto on March 17 and delivered reftel demarche. Yamamoto said that Japan has not yet decided on its response to the current outbreak of H5N1 in Burma. Tokyo is, however, very concerned about the weak nature of Burma's medical and surveillance systems. Yamamoto said that it was important to have the international community assist Rangoon in its fight against highly pathogenic avian influenza. ¶2. (SBU) In response to ESToff's question as to who would make the decision and when on possible Japanese aid to Burma, Yamamoto said that MOFA's office covering Burmese affairs would play a vital role and would have to weigh its priorities before disbursing any money or in-kind materiel. He explained that Tokyo has not received any requests for assistance from Rangoon through formal channels yet, but that the Burmese government has informally asked for Tokyo's help. When asked what the Burmese were asking for, Yamamoto responded that it was for a combination of PPEs and diagnostic kits. He also mentioned that the informal request was somewhat "confusing", because Rangoon was also asking for completely unrelated medical equipment. MOFA will have to scrutinize the request fully before making its decision. Yamamoto promised to get in touch with Embassy Tokyo as soon as he learned of any new details. ¶3. (SBU) In addition, Yamamoto passed ESToff an "internal" MOFA-UNICEF document that detailed Japan's projected aid for AI related projects in nine Asian and two African countries. Tokyo plans to provide Burma USD 1.46 million to fund emergency risk communication programs and an additional USD 650,000 for the provision of emergency supplies and equipment. Funding for the risk communication projects is further divided as follows: USD 75,000 for the sensitization of the government, health personnel, teachers, poultry farmers and other stakeholders to the AI risk and situation; USD 200,000 to support UNICEF's CREATE project; USD 175,000 to develop additional communication materials in local languages; USD 950,000 to implement the projects (the buying of air time, printing of materials, and supporting educational campaigns); and USD 60,000 for evaluation, documentation and dissemination. The USD 650,000 for emergency supplies will be earmarked for the procurement and distribution of preventative hygiene and sanitation supplies for high-risk groups. He said that the decisions to fund these various projects have been "pretty much" made, but that Tokyo was still considering some outstanding issues. He expects the funding for the educational projects to begin as soon as this April. SCHIEFFER