A total of six third-party evaluations were conducted in FY2023, consisting of three country assistance evaluations of Japan’s ODA to Thailand, Bangladesh, and Egypt, one thematic evaluation of Japan’s ODA to forcibly displaced persons and host countries, and two evaluations of individual grant aid projects implemented by MOFA (namely, the evaluation of “Japan’s Non-Project Grant Aid for Provision of Japanese Local Products for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (FY2014)” and “Japan’s Grant Aid for the Economic and Social Development Programme for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (FY2016)”).

Evaluation from Development Viewpoints

Results of the Policy Level Evaluations (Three Country Assistance Evaluations and One Thematic Evaluation)

● Relevance of Policies:

The ODA policies for all of the countries evaluated under the country assistance evaluation were aligned with Japan’s high-level policies and the development policies and needs of the partner countries, as well as global priority issues. ODA projects were also implemented in a way that leveraged Japan’s comparative advantages. Relevance of Policies was rated “highly satisfactory” for Thailand and Bangladesh, and “satisfactory” for Egypt.

Similarly for the thematic evaluation, the refugee-related assistance policy was aligned with Japan’s high-level policy and the needs on the ground. The policy was implemented in a pragmatic manner and in a way acceptable to partner countries, leveraging Japan’s comparative advantage. Relevance of Policies was rated “satisfactory.”

● Effectiveness of Results:

It was confirmed that the aid inputs were appropriately allocated for each country evaluated under the country assistance evaluation. In Thailand and Bangladesh, significant outcomes and contributions were confirmed in multiple areas including infrastructure, and Effectiveness of Results was rated “highly satisfactory” and “satisfactory” respectively. In Egypt, although some effects were observed, delays occurred in project implementation due to factors such as COVID-19. Accordingly, Effectiveness of Results was rated “partially satisfactory.”

For the thematic evaluation, the primary inputs announced by Japan at international conferences were achieved, and outputs were also generally achieved in individual projects. Therefore, Effectiveness of Results was rated “satisfactory.” On the other hand, it was pointed out that assistance of the international community as a whole is still insufficient, and that there is a need to provide assistance toward resolving conflicts and supporting the return of refugees as a part of the humanitarian, development, and peace (HDP) nexus.

● Appropriateness of Processes:

For each country evaluated under the country assistance evaluation, it was confirmed that policy formulation processes as well as policy implementation processes including understanding the needs of the partner country, monitoring, and public relations activities, were executed appropriately. Cooperation implementation structures were also confirmed to be appropriate. In Thailand, public relations activities were actively conducted by utilizing social media, and there were cases where ODA projects became joint projects with private companies or local governments. Therefore, Appropriateness of Processes was rated “highly satisfactory.” In Bangladesh, there was coordination among various actors, including other donors, international organizations, the private sector, and NGOs, while in Egypt, appropriate coordination and collaboration were in place with other development-related actors. Therefore, Appropriateness of Processes was rated “satisfactory” for both countries.

For the thematic evaluation, both the policy formulation and implementation processes were generally appropriate, with a structure in place to ensure swift response for emergency assistance, as well as coordination with various actors. However, in MOFA, the responsibilities for refugee assistance were spread across numerous divisions, and consultation was not carried out sufficiently with a view to overall refugee assistance in the country concerned. The projects through JICA and NGOs and humanitarian assistance through international organizations were formulated separately, and the monitoring and disclosure of information on international organization projects were insufficient. Therefore, Appropriateness of Processes was rated “partially satisfactory.”

Results of the Two Evaluations of Individual Grant Aid Projects (provision of Japanese local products and security equipment)

● Relevance of Plans:

For the FY2014 project, the plans were consistent with the needs of the Government of Jordan as well as the diplomatic and development cooperation policies of the Government of Japan. At the time of project implementation, which was three years after the Great East Japan Earthquake in Japan, it was appropriate that the project was adopted as a grant aid to provide equipment produced in the regions of Japan. The FY2016 project was planned in a year with a record number of terrorist incidents in Jordan. Under these circumstances, the project was consistent with the development plans and needs of the Government of Jordan, and with Japan’s diplomatic policies toward the Middle East and development cooperation policies toward Jordan. Furthermore, the adoption of the Economic and Social Development Programme, which is characterized by mobility and speed, was also considered to be appropriate. Therefore, the Relevance of Plans was rated “satisfactory” for both projects.

● Effectiveness of Results:

For the FY2014 project, appropriate use of the requested equipment after its delivery, as well as efforts to maintain and manage the equipment, were observed. On the other hand, a handover ceremony was not conducted, and some issues were observed with the promotion of Japan’s locally produced equipment on the ground. Therefore, Effectiveness of Results was rated “satisfactory.” For the FY2016 project, the installation of security equipment at border checkpoints has been continued through Japan’s ODA following this project. Therefore, Effectiveness of Results was rated “satisfactory.”

Rating standards
Highly Satisfactory: All verification items produced highly satisfactory evaluation results.
Satisfactory: Most verification items produced highly satisfactory evaluation results.
Partially Satisfactory: A number of verification items produced highly satisfactory evaluation results, but there were some issues to be resolved.
Unsatisfactory: Most verification items produced unsatisfactory evaluation results.

(Note 1) For policy level evaluations.

(Note 2) For project level evaluations. Based on the results of the Analysis of Third-Party Evaluation of Bilateral Grant Aid Projects Conducted by MOFA and the Proposal of Evaluation Methods carried out in FY2020, the Development and Diplomatic Viewpoints have been combined since FY2021, and verification items related to "Diplomatic Importance" are included in "Relevance of Plans," while those related to "Diplomatic Impact" are included in "Effectiveness of Results."

Evaluation from Diplomatic Viewpoints

In the country assistance evaluations conducted in FY2023, the Diplomatic Importance of the ODA was confirmed in view of the geopolitical importance of each partner country, contribution to the development of Thailand and Bangladesh through assistance from Japan, and the importance of Egypt’s stability to the stability of the region. Diplomatic Impact was also confirmed, such as contribution to the maintenance and promotion of friendly relations with each partner country through Japan’s ODA, and to the cultivation of affinity toward Japan. In addition, Japan’s ODA also contributed to assistance to neighboring countries through the Third Country Training Program in Thailand, and to ensuring the peace and safety of Japan as well as the safety of Japanese citizens in Bangladesh.

In the thematic evaluation, Diplomatic Importance was confirmed in the contribution to promoting a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)”, and Diplomatic Impact was confirmed in the form of increased Japanese presence and increased positive perception of Japan.

Recommendations and Lessons Learned

Recommendations were made based on the results of the six ODA evaluations conducted in FY2023. Of those recommendations, the following are common to multiple evaluations or applicable to other cases.

Recommendations Common to Multiple Evaluations

● Improvement of Publicity and Information Disclosure

Recommendations were made on improving the approach to publicity and information disclosure for multiple projects. It was pointed out, for both the evaluation of Japan’s ODA to Egypt and the thematic evaluation, that there is a need to enhance publicity and information disclosure with regard to the relationship between Japan’s cooperation projects and schemes, including assistance provided through international organizations.

● Flexible Operation of Cooperation Modalities

In the thematic evaluation, recommendations were made on timely and flexible operation of cooperation modalities in both humanitarian and development assistance schemes. The evaluation of Japan’s ODA to Egypt recommended improving the flexibility of the operation of the Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) system for ODA loans.

Recommendations/Lessons with Possible Applicability to Other Cases

● Implementation of ODA based on the PDCA Cycle

In the evaluation of Japan’s ODA to Bangladesh, there was a proposal to introduce program level evaluation that includes creating a Theory of Change (ToC) and establishing indicators for each sector at the program planning stage. The evaluation of Japan’s grant aid to Jordan in FY2014 pointed out that it is important to record particularly significant decisions and changes in the contents of the assistance in documents, and to review the retention period of such records so that the lessons can be learned subsequently.

● Development of a Structure for Collaboration

In the thematic evaluation, a specific recommendation was made on establishing a structure to facilitate collaboration between various actors and develop systems for such collaboration both in Tokyo and in the field, with a view to strengthening the HDP nexus.