The Japan–World Bank Partnership Program focuses on the dissemination of findings of grant-financed analytical studies, seminars, and conferences on emerging development challenges and solutions. It supports building relationships and coordination among researchers and knowledge sharing between Japanese institutions, the World Bank, and recipient governments. Flagship engagements under this program include:
- The World Bank–Japan Joint UHC Initiative, which finances Bank-executed analytics contributing to monitoring the progress toward UHC, supporting learning and knowledge exchange, creating momentum for reforms, and building the capacity of health care stakeholders. The Partnership Program of the PHRD UHC Window complements its Country Program under the PHRD technical assistance window that provides analytical work to inform policy reforms and innovations toward achievement of UHC at the country level.
- The Global Development Awards and Medals Competition, a recipient-executed activity which is launched on an annual cycle by the Global Development Network. The program rewards groundbreaking economics and social science researchers and funds innovative social development projects benefiting marginalized groups in developing countries.
- Leveraging Japanese Knowledge and Experience for Capacity Building in Human Capital and Science, Technology, and Innovation , which produces Bank-executed analytics on identifying opportunities in science, technology, and innovation to achieve the sustainable development goals. These studies are made available to developing countries so that they can adopt and benefit from these opportunities.
- The World Bank–Japan Partnership and Outreach Program (Phase III), which contributes to increasing awareness in Japan and beyond of the World Bank’s operations and other development issues.
World Bank–Japan Joint UHC Initiative Results
The World Bank–Japan Joint UHC Initiative contributes significantly to setting clear global goals and directions, whilst galvanizing global momentum towards UHC and building core capacities among key policy makers and technical staff of countries and assisting them to develop and implementing “roadmaps” towards UHC.
Key recent achievements include evidence-based inputs to the G7 Health Ministers Meeting during Japan’s presidency, the co-launch of the Global Monitoring Reports with WHO in 2021 and 2023, and the issue of the Double Shock to Double Recovery series under the Health Finance component, “Changes Cannot Wait: Building Resilient Health Systems in the Shadow of COVID-19” under the Pandemic Preparedness and Response (PPR) component, and “Silver Opportunity – Building Integrated Serviced for Older Adults around Primary Health Care” and its Case Studies under the Priority Policy Work (Aging and Long-Term Care).
The Program significantly advanced the Bank’s role as a knowledge bank through Joint Learning Network (JLN) and Flagship Program. JLN’s country engagement activities have increased the JLN membership to 39 countries by the closure of Phase III and JLN launched new learning collaboratives, including digital health (DH), reimagining primary healthcare (RePHC), climate-smart health systems (CSHS), and health emergency preparedness (HEP), in addition to the continued Efficiency and Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) Collaboratives. With support from the PHRD UHC grant, 10 UHC Flagship Core Courses and 6 Deep Dive Courses were delivered in the Phase III despite the arrival of the COVID-19. In Phase III, approximately 2,100 policy makers and technical staff, including government officials from the respective Ministry of Finance and Health in over 50 countries, participated in the Core Course, which was delivered in up to five languages. Upon requests from countries and regions, the Deep Dive Courses were delivered in the various areas, including Digital Health, Primary Health Care, Non-Communicable Diseases, Messaging Guide for Health Financing, and Domestic Resource Mobilization.
Global Development Awards Competition
The Global Development Awards and Medals Competition Program supports the research capacity development of economics and social science researchers and provides funds for innovative social development projects benefiting marginalized groups in developing countries. Results achieved since the 2019 edition with PHRD support include:
Japan-WBG Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation
Launched in 2019, Leveraging Japanese Knowledge and Experience for Capacity Building in Human Capital and Science, Technology, and Innovation was a Bank-executed activity designed to support Japan’s vision through a knowledge base and hands-on support; share Japan's experience in human capital development and science, technology, and innovation; inform policy makers; and improve the capacity of research and innovation in higher education institutions in Sub-Sharan Africa. At project completion in June 2023, achievements included the conception and roll-out of a global education policy dashboard in 14 countries, the signatures of 10 memoranda of understanding for partnerships between African universities and Japanese universities and industries, three pilot university–industry partnership projects, and the organization of four events to share Japanese knowledge on science, technology, innovation, and advanced digital skills with African universities and African governments.
Last Updated: Aug 30, 2024