Official Development Assistance (ODA)
Japan's Environmental Cooperation
Environmental Considerations and Project Implementation
There are two issues involved in "aid and environment." The first is how to promote assistance for environmental areas (environmental ODA); the second, how to mitigate the negative effects on the environment in the process of development. This second concern is addressed by incorporating environmental considerations in the ordinary process of ODA project implementation. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) have formulated guidelines to this end.
Measuring and assessing environmental impact is also an important perspective in the follow-up evaluations of completed projects.
Japan-China Environment Model Cities Plan
Bringing Clean Air Back to China
Rapid economic growth has produced significant environmental destruction in China. In the cities of Gui Yang and Chongqing, for example, atmospheric sulfur dioxide concentration is well above even what was seen in the worst-polluted cities during Japan's high-growth phase, and there are reports that this is affecting human health.
China is a large country with many cities and there are limits to what foreign aid can accomplish, but the Japan-China Environment Model Cities Plan attempts to provide more effective and efficient assistance by creating environmental success stories that will inspire other cities.
The Plan was advocated by the two countries' heads of state in September 1997. A Committee of Experts from Japan and China discussed the idea for a year and a half before recommending to the governments basic guidelines and core projects for the Plan based on expert, medium- and long-term considerations.
The governments use ODA loans from Japan to fund projects and technical cooperation to improve cities' general environmental management abilities and skills. Through these efforts, the recommendations of the Committee are gradually coming to fruition.
The Model Cities Plan represents a new innovation in Japan-China assistance. The countries have engaged in on-going dialogue since the initial conceptual stages, and they use the recommendations of the Committee of Experts as implementation guidelines.
The immediate challenge facing the Plan is to equip the three participating cities with the skills and capacity for on-going, self-directed environmental programs, and then to spread their experiences to other cities across China.