Yomiuri Honors Doctor Akihiro Seita For Palestinian Refugee Work

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:52 JST, November 18, 2024

Dr. Akihiro Seita will be awarded the 31st Yomiuri International Cooperation Prize for his devotion to providing health care for people in the Middle East, especially Palestinian refugees, for more than 30 years through the World Health Organization and other groups.

An award ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 26 in Tokyo. Seita will also receive ¥5 million at the ceremony.

Seita, 63, spent 15 years at the WHO working on measures against infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and AIDS, in 22 countries and regions, including Somalia and Afghanistan.

Since 2010, he has served as the director of health at the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), managing health care for about 5.9 million refugees.

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