Ulaanbaatar
Exchange of notes on new project signed
Politics
Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/. Yesterday, March 10, Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Mongolia Hiroyuki Kobayashi and the UNICEF
Representative Alex Heikens signed an Exchange of Notes on the ‘COVID-19
pandemic and Public Health Emergency Capacity Building Project’ to be
implemented in Mongolia through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
under a grant from the Government of Japan.
Present at the ceremony were State Secretary of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs N. Ankhbayar, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health Ts.
Erdembileg and relevant officials of the ministries and UNICEF Mongolia Office.
This USD21.5 million grant project will be implemented in
two phases, with the Government of Japan providing vaccine for 1.3 million Mongolians
through the UNICEF and resolving the supply of equipment to form a ‘cold chain’
of vaccines.
State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs N.Ankhbayar
expressed gratitude to the Government of Japan – strategic partner and third
neighbor of Mongolia, for its extensive and practical supports provided within
the framework of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including granting
soft loans, strengthening the health system, providing the required equipment
and training health personnel, at a time when the world countries are
constantly struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Within the project being co-implemented
by the Government of Japan and the UNICEF, special attention will be paid to
bring the vaccine to Mongolia as soon as possible and immunize
the population,” said N. Ankhbayar.
Mentioning that besides the project, the Government of Japan
is one of the main donors to the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility that allocates
the vaccines for 20 percent of Mongolian population, N. Ankhbayar emphasized
that the Government of Japan makes a significant contribution to the inclusive distribution
of COVID-19 vaccine to Mongolia.
