 As a result, in August 2004, the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights initiated studies to formally address leprosy and its related discrimination issues as a human-rights issue, eventually unanimously approving a resolution calling on national governments, leprosy-related organizations and UN institutions to improve the current state of affairs.Since then, Sasakawa has continued to work to resolve leprosy's social aspects, for example establishing the Sasakawa-India Leprosy Foundation in 2006 to assist the independence of people affected by the disease.Sasakawa's international achievements in controlling leprosy have resulted in a number of international prizes, such as the Yomiuri Shimbun’s Yomiuri International Cooperation Prize (2004), and India's International Gandhi Award (2007).