WID (Women in Development) concept is based on a recognition of the importance of the roles and status of women in development process. It is meant to give special attention to the women's role, while extending development assistance.

For the effective and efficient implementation of assistance, it is essential to ensure that the women should have the opportunities to participate positively as important players in development process. Such enlargement of opportunities will also pave the way for the enhancement of women's status.

Japan intends to strengthen and extend its WID-related assistance to enable balanced and sustainable economic and social development in developing countries, taking into consideration their diversified and particular social and religious backgrounds. Japan is implementing a number of economic cooperation projects, considering the full life cycle of women from birth through school, employment, childbirth and child-rearing, as well as the circumstances and aims of each country and region based on reproductive health and rights, with a view to improving the women's working conditions, health and hygienic conditions, providing education and vocational training, assisting women's participation in society and enhancing their economic independence. Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots projects and support for NGO activities are also included. Women's views are carefully monitored in the formulation as well as the implementation of these projects.

In 1989 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established the WID Steering Committee headed by the Director-General of the Economic Cooperation Bureau, and appointed an officer within each division of the Economic Coopera-tion Bureau to take charge of WID promotion. From 1994 the Ministry has also appointed WID officers at all Japanese embassies in countries where Japanese aid is extended. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF), which implement overseas assistance, have also set up divisions for WID promotion.

In the midst of the general movement, led by the United Nations, to improve the status of women, the WID concept has gained international momentum, and in 1983 the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) adopted the "WID Guiding Principles", which included development of the structure to promote WID (the Guidig Principles were revised in 1989).