Environmental Conservation Initiative for Sustainable Development (EcoISD)
- Summary -
August 2002
Full Text
1. Japan's Environmental ODA and EcoISD
Japan supports developing countries in various fields in order to achieve three main targets related to environmental conservation: to deal with environmental pollution arising from economic growth; to eradicate poverty, which is one of main causes of environmental depletion; and to cope with global environmental issues. Recognizing that these environmental ODA efforts will play an increasingly important role in resolving environmental issues, Japan will positively continue to extend its environmental cooperation, mainly through its ODA, in order to support sustainable development in the world.
2. Philosophy of EcoISD
(1) Human Security
(2) Ownership & Partnership
(3) Pursuit of Environmental Conservation & Development
3. Principles of Environmental Cooperation
(1) Capacity development in environment
(2) Active integration of environmental considerations
(3) Japan's leading role
(4) Cooperation under a broad and comprehensive framework
(5) Application of Japanese experience and scientific knowledge
4. Action Plans
Japan will promote actions in the following four priority areas.
(1) Efforts to Address Global Warming
To raise awareness that global warming threatens to spoil sustainable development, to transfer to and spread over developing countries appropriate technologies as countermeasures against this problem, and to enhance capacity to address this issue from scientific, social and systemic perspectives.
(2) Pollution Control
To provide support focussing on measures to control pollution and improve living standards (air & water pollution and waste management) in urban areas, mainly in the Asian regions in which economies are rapidly growing.
(3) Fresh Water Issues
To support the implementation of both water supply and sewage systems, taking into account the characteristics of the target country's urban and rural areas, as well as to promote "soft" cooperation for water resource management and water quality control.
(4) Conservation of Natural Environment
To support developing countries in the areas of the management of nature reserves, forest-related issues, prevention of desertification, and natural resources management, taking into consideration the efforts for eradicating poverty of local people.
5. New Efforts by Japan
Japan will undertake the following new efforts.
(1) Human resources development totaling 5,000 in the environmental field over a five-year period from FY 2002.
(2) Provision of yen loans with the most concessional terms for projects in environmental fields in order to give incentives to developing countries to resolve global environmental issues.
(3) Enhancement of Japan's grant aid for global environment to promote cooperation for resolving the issue.
(4) Promotion of wide-ranging collaboration with international organizations.
(5) Further improvement of evaluation methods in order to make the ex-post evaluation of Japan's environmental ODA more effective.
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