KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Japan has contributed $6.3 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to support polio eradication and routine immunization programs in Afghanistan, the UN agency announced on Tuesday.
In a statement, UNICEF said the 12-month initiative, funded through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will deliver polio vaccines and routine immunization services to more than 12 million children under five across all 34 provinces.
According to UNICEF, polio cases in Afghanistan have declined in recent years, falling from 25 cases in 2024 to 10 cases by December 2025. However, the agency warned that the virus continues to circulate in high-risk areas and that gaps in vaccination coverage could reverse recent progress.
“As long as the virus continues to circulate in high-risk areas, every missed vaccination leaves children vulnerable and puts hard-won gains at risk,” UNICEF said.
Kenichi Masamoto, Japan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, said Japan and its people remain committed to supporting efforts to eliminate polio in the country.
“Building on more than two decades of partnership with UNICEF, Japan is proud to continue contributing to a reliable vaccine supply that protects children’s lives,” Masamoto said. He added that maintaining consistent vaccine delivery at this stage is critical to ensuring that no child is left without protection.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where wild poliovirus has not been eradicated. Transmission persists mainly in border and tribal regions due to insecurity, population movements, and vaccine misinformation, with some families refusing immunization over misconceptions and distrust.
So far this year, no new polio cases have been officially reported in Afghanistan. In the previous year, at least 10 cases were recorded, mostly in eastern and southern provinces bordering Pakistan.
Andrea James, UNICEF’s Deputy Representative in Afghanistan, said eradication remains achievable with comprehensive coverage.
“Ending polio in Afghanistan is within reach, but it will only happen if every child is reached, every time,” James said. “The continued support of the Government and people of Japan helps ensure that vaccines reach the most vulnerable children, including those living in the most remote and hardest-to-reach communities.”
Japan has been a key partner of UNICEF in Afghanistan for more than two decades, supporting vaccine procurement, cold chain systems, and nationwide immunization programs, UNICEF said.
UNICEF expressed appreciation for Japan’s long-term support, describing it as critical to protecting the health and future of Afghan children and sustaining efforts to permanently eliminate polio.
Global health agencies have set polio eradication as a priority, warning that failure to eliminate the virus in remaining endemic countries could allow it to spread again across borders and undermine decades of progress worldwide.
