The Ambassador's Speeches

» Speech by H.E. Yutaka Yoshizawa, the Ambassador of Japan At the Grant Contract Signing Ceremony for GGP Projects in the Republic of Fiji Islands

Thursday, 18th December 2008, 11.00 a.m.

Good Morning Everyone, and Ni sa Bula, Namaste

I wish to welcome you all to our Embassy this morning. We have just witnessed the signing of the Japanese Grant Contracts in the three very essential sectors, namely education, water supply and health.

The funding of these five projects was made possible through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Programme. Since the inception of this programme in 1993 till 2007, Japan has provided funding assistance to 224 projects with a total value of approximately 9.6 million US dollars around Fiji Islands. For this year, a total number of fourteen projects were earmarked for Fiji. As a result of today’s signing all these fourteen projects have been formalised. Out of these fourteen projects, nine are in education area, two in water supply area, one is in rural infrastructure area, one is in sanitary environment and one is in health area. Total value of these fourteen projects amounts to little over one million US dollars.

Japan will continue to provide support to development projects at the grass-roots level through its GGP. I am confident that these projects will contribute to the strengthening of the friendly ties between Japan and Fiji. I also wish to note that the project for medical equipment to Labasa Hospital formalised today was made possible through the initiative of a JICA Volunteer based at that Hospital, thereby providing effective Japan’s GGP scheme and JOCV programme.

Finally, with these few words, I would like to congratulate you all on the formalisation of Japan’s assistance to these projects, and I look forward to the successful completion. I wish you all a merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year.

Thank You