A union of 60 groups from 25 countries that have received financial aid to fight Hansen's disease will confer an award on Yohei Sasakawa, president of the Nippon Foundation, for his efforts in the battle against the malady.
"Although we are moving toward resolving leprosy medically, the issue on the social level still remains," said Sasakawa, who was to receive the award from the India-based International Leprosy Union during a ceremony Friday in Delhi.
Sasakawa also expressed hope that work toward eliminating discrimination and bias against Hansen's disease sufferers, including heightened global awareness, will continue.
The foundation became involved in the fight against Hansen's disease in 1975 in cooperation with such groups as the World Health Organization. As of the end of last year, it had provided about 27 billion yen in aid.
The Tokyo-based foundation -- which was established in 1962 and initially aimed at the maritime industry -- is also cited for its distribution of free therapeutic drugs in a number of countries since 1995.
According to union officials, the WHO is expected to release a statement about the suppression of Hansen's disease by 2005. Recent figures on countries that have experienced Hansen's disease outbreaks showed the number had fallen from 122 in 1985 to six.