Joint Statement: Strategic Development Alliance
New York, September 17, 2005
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Machimura Nobutaka met on the occasion of the 60th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York on September 17, 2005. Among other things, they addressed development issues facing the United States and Japan, and issued the following statement announcing the launch of the U.S.-Japan Strategic Development Alliance and the Common Development Principles.
U.S.-Japan Development Cooperation
The Ministers agreed that the United States and Japan share a common development vision aimed at promoting peace, stability, and prosperity through results-oriented development assistance. The Ministers were pleased to note that the U.S. and Japan will hold the first meeting of the U.S.-Japan Strategic Development Alliance in late September in Washington to further this partnership.
The Ministers recognized that cooperation between the U.S. and Japan, the world's two largest donors, will help developing countries implement policies that ensure the most effective use of assistance. They concurred that empowerment of individuals and local communities, good governance, strong democratic institutions, and political stability are critical foundations for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. They also reinforced their strong commitment to generous humanitarian and emergency relief for any country in need.
Launching the U.S.-Japan Strategic Development Alliance
Both sides expressed their expectation that the U.S.-Japan Strategic Development Alliance will enhance coordination of their bilateral development assistance and their approaches to development in important multilateral fora through:
- A shared development vision and common development principles, which form the basis for strengthened U.S.-Japan partnership;
- Senior-level dialogue to coordinate development strategies and target strategically important issues and areas for collaboration;
- Working-level efforts to exchange best practices in aid programs and test innovative approaches to collaboration.
Next Steps
At the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Development Alliance, the U.S. and Japan will focus on selected strategically important countries, and the Ministers will continue to be engaged in the initiative.
Common Development Principles
Poverty Reduction Through Economic Growth
- Free economies: Free trade and free markets for goods and capital are essential to global economic growth and lasting prosperity in developing countries.
- Promoting entrepreneurship: The most sustainable development policies are those that encourage broad-based private sector-led growth and promote entrepreneurship and enterprise. Infrastructure development is important for private sector growth.
- Effective aid: Effective aid programs are customized from the ground up to align with recipient countries national development strategies. Effective aid management involves setting benchmarks, measuring results, promoting transparency and accountability, and harmonizing donor actions.
Sustainability Through Country Ownership, Capacity Building, and Empowerment
- National strategies: The primary responsibility for development lies with each country. Progress is foremost a function of country ownership, commitment, and political will.
- Readiness: Development assistance is most effective when focused on countries that have proven track records of ruling justly, investing in their people, and encouraging economic freedom.
- Empowerment: Development occurs when countries empower and build the capacity of individuals and local communities to make and implement their own sound development decisions.
Development and Security
- The importance of governance: Sound economic governance and democracy support growth and regional stability.
- Peace and development are mutually reinforcing: Peace-building, post-conflict reconstruction assistance, and, where possible, conflict prevention are crucial to enabling investment and private sector-led growth.
- Development inoculates against instability: A robust, private sector-led economy will share the benefits of economic freedom broadly and can act as a bulwark against state failure and instability.
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