The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) held the first in its new series of seminars on the Global Financing Facility (GFF). This series is part of a project to promote understanding of the GFF by experts and practitioners in the fields of global health and development cooperation in Japan and to reinforce the linkages between the GFF’s efforts and Japan’s global health policy.

During the first seminar, participants were provided with an advanced copy of a yet-to-be-published research report on the GFF, as well as a presentation on the GFF’s efforts by Shunsuke Mabuchi, senior advisor for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Mabuchi described the strengths of the GFF, highlighting the advantageous relationship between the GFF and the World Bank. In particular, the GFF can promote more effective use of the World Bank’s various funding channels, such as the International Development Association (IDA), in the health sector. The relationship between the World Bank and the ministries of finance in partner countries also enables effective health financing reform and strengthens the partner country’s monitoring and analysis system for national health strategies.

He explained that Japan’s vision of global health is strongly aligned with the GFF’s goals in various ways, including its focus on promoting universal health coverage (UHC) through primary health care (PHC) and health system strengthening, and on strengthening coordination between ministries of health and ministries of finance for health financing reform. He emphasized that the GFF is an important partner organization in advancing Japan’s vision of global health, and stressed that increasing Japan’s support for the GFF is a cost-effective investment.

Additional information on this seminar is available in Japanese.