Japan conducts development cooperation for developing countries, using Official Development Assistance (ODA) in order to contribute to the peace, stability, and prosperity of the international community.

ODA evaluation is a systematic assessment of the implementation and effects of ODA.

ODA evaluation has two objectives: to improve ODA management and to strengthen public accountability. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of ODA by investigating its implementation and effects and to gain public understanding and support by disseminating the evaluation results and improving transparency.

Structure of Implementation Process

MOFA is responsible for planning and formulating ODA policies, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is mainly responsible for implementing individual projects. MOFA and JICA collaborate on ODA evaluations by dividing their roles.

Japan has steadily conducted ODA evaluations since 1975, prior to the implementation of the Government Policy Evaluations Act (GPEA) in 2002. Japan has developed an evaluation framework in collaboration with other international ODA institutions, including the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD-DAC).

MOFA primarily evaluates ODA policies by commissioning third parties, such as external experts and consultants from the private sector. Meanwhile, JICA primarily evaluates the individual projects that it is responsible for implementing.

MOFA also provides assistance with the aim of improving the evaluation capacity of developing countries.

This annual report presents MOFA's ODA evaluations, aside from evaluations based on the GPEA.

Utilization of ODA Evaluation Results

It is essential that the evaluation results and recommendations obtained from ODA evaluations are utilized by MOFA, which is responsible for planning and formulating ODA policies, and JICA, which is responsible for implementing individual projects.

They must be reflected in future policymaking and project implementation. Stakeholders in MOFA and JICA receive evaluation results and recommendations from evaluators and propose response action plans. One year later, MOFA checks the implementation status of the response actions and publishes the results in MOFA’s ODA annual reports.
　Through this process, MOFA aims to improve ODA management and promote public accountability.

Evaluation Targets

MOFA's ODA evaluations can be classified according to the evaluation targets. In Country/Regional Assistance Evaluations, the development cooperation policy for a specific developing country or region, such as the Philippines, is evaluated. In Thematic/Aid Modality Evaluations, a specific theme is evaluated, such as education, health or the environment, as well as a particular aid modality, such as technical cooperation or grant aid.
　Furthermore, since FY 2017, MOFA has also been conducting ex-post evaluations in the form of third-party evaluations for individual grant aid projects, implemented by MOFA, in which the maximum amount of aid offered is one billion yen or more. For individual grant aid projects where the maximum amount offered is 200 million yen or more and less than one billion yen, internal evaluations are conducted and the results are made public.

<ODA individual grant aid project evaluation report (internal evaluations)>
https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/ms/oda/page24_000056.html

Evaluation Viewpoints / Evaluation Criteria / Evaluation Questions

Through ODA evaluations (third-party evaluations), MOFA examines the extent to which Japan's ODA contributes to development in the partner countries (Development Viewpoints) and the impacts that it has on Japan's national interests (Diplomatic Viewpoints). MOFA's ODA Evaluation Criteria are as described below.

1 Evaluations from Development Viewpoints

MOFA has set the criteria below as suitable for evaluating Japan's overall ODA policy based on the OECD-DAC's internationally recognized six evaluation criteria (relevance, coherence, effectiveness, impact, efficiency, and sustainability). Under each criterion, specific evaluation questions are provided.

Relevance of Policies

How relevant is the ODA policy to Japan's high-level policies (including consistency of related policies, such as its development policy, humanitarian policy and education policy), the needs of partner countries, and international priority issues? How outstanding is Japan's ODA compared to other donors?

Effectiveness of Result

What results has Japan's ODA produced? What levels of effects and impacts has it shown?

Appropriateness of Processes

How appropriate was the policymaking and implementation process? Was effective donor coordination undertaken?

2 Evaluations from Diplomatic Viewpoints

Diplomatic Importance

How is Japan's ODA important in solving global priority issues, strengthening bilateral relations, and promoting Japan's security and prosperity?

Diplomatic Impact

How has Japan's ODA contributed to boosting the country's presence in international society, strengthening its bilateral relations, and promoting its security and prosperity?

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