To establish broadened public understanding and support for ODA, in addition to promoting the disclosure of information and public relations activities, it is important to foster heightened cooperation and participation from the various strata of society and community organizations. In particular, recent years have witnessed growing demand for effective assistance that directly reaches the local population in developing countries, and highly versatile NGOs have assumed an increasingly important role in providing such aid. Several Japanese NGOs attracted attention with their efforts in providing relief assistance to refugees from Kosovo and to victims of the recent earthquake in Turkey. Public interest in development assistance has continued to mount within Japan. Reflecting this trend, a number of Japanese local communities with ties to developing countries have stepped up their participation in the field of international assistance. In addition, volunteers, from the young through to senior citizens, have become involved in aid projects.

The first section of this chapter describes the various efforts being made to promote such forms of participatory aid. We look in particular at government efforts to collaborate with and support NGOs through means such as NGO project subsidies. We also touch upon Japan's grant assistance for grassroots projects, which is particularly effective in promoting national involvement in and visibility of Japanese aid because of the direct benefit it provides at grassroots level in developing countries. The section also touches on moves to enhance Japan's international cooperation by utilizing the know-how and dynamism of local communities, as well as the talents of domestic human resources such as the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and the Senior Volunteers. Finally, we examine the promotion of information disclosure, public relations and development education toward heightening public understanding and interest in development cooperation, as well as efforts to foster development cooperation professionals to support development aid in the next century.

In the second section, we move on to the issue of human security,¹ now a key aspect in implementing Japanese aid, and look at how this approach has been reflected in responses to situations which have completely overturned the foundations of people's lives. The Kosovo conflict, the antipersonnel mine issue and disaster relief are pinpointed as concrete examples of such situations. We also spotlight the Women in Development (WID) Initiative, particularly important from an empowerment perspective, and then examine approaches to fight drug abuse, a challenge demanding a concerted international response.

The third section takes up the efforts to assist Heavily Indebted Poor countries (HIPCs), which have entered a new phase since the Köln Summit held in June 1999. Excessive indebtedness not only has destabilized developing countries' economies but also affected the international economy as a whole, and thus has become a global politico-economic issue. International efforts have been intensified for promoting debt relief. We outline Japan's basic approach to assisting Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, highlighting Japan's efforts and initiatives in response to debates at UN meetings and the G7 Summit and also touching on the agreement reached at Köln.

Section 1 Efforts to Heighten Public Understanding, Support, and Participation

1. Collaboration with and Support for NGOs

1.1 Frameworks for Collaboration with and Support for NGOs

Cooperation with NGOs includes a collaborative dimension involving utilization of NGOs' human resources, know-how, and other resources for implementation of Japanese ODA projects, on one hand, and a supportive dimension involving assistance for independent NGO-led projects on the other. Strengthened dialogue with NGOs is crucial in enhancing these two dimensions. The Japanese government has stepped up ODA policy- and implementation-related dialogue and exchanges of views with NGOs, and thus has drawn upon NGOs' unique perspectives and know-how which is distinct from the government's daily concerns. Examples include the NGO-MoFA Regular Meeting (held 14 times since 1996), JICA-NGO Meeting, and dialogues with NGOs on the Global Issues Initiative on Population and AIDS (GII)² (exchanges of views on cooperation in these areas, held 29 times since 1994), and a series of MoFA-NGO information meetings on the Kosovo refugee issue. Collaborative training programs and joint evaluations by NGO and MoFA personnel (Bangladesh in 1997, and Cambodia in 1999) are among the accomplishments of such dialogue, as well as the participation of NGO experts in a joint Japan-U.S. survey team dispatched to Zambia to formulate a population/AIDS-related project proposal in December 1998.

Inaugurated with a budget appropriation of ¥110 million in FY1989, the NGO subsidy framework (see Box 1) is the mechanism of budgetary support by the government for NGO undertakings in the aid field. In FY1998, the government disbursed around ¥788 million in subsidy funding to 111 NGOs for a total of 185 projects (in 46 countries and regions) in a broad spectrum of fields: for example, rural development, human resources development, environmental conservation, medical/health care programs, and women's empowerment programs. Furthermore, grant assistance for grassroots projects (see 1.2) started also in FY1989 as another public funding source for NGO-led activities in developing countries, which also aims to support activities of Japanese NGOs. The international volunteer compensation scheme is yet another form of NGO support. Part of the overall NGO subsidy framework, this system subsidizes the insurance taken out by volunteers against accidents, injury or death while engaged in international volunteer activities overseas. In FY1998, 63 volunteers belonging to five groups were granted around ¥2.11 million.³

Japan also has in place a postal savings scheme for international voluntary aid, whereby anyone with a postal savings account can opt to donate between 20 to 100 percent (the rate being chosen by the account-holder) of the interest accrued on their savings for distribution to Japanese NGOs to assist in their efforts to improve the welfare of people living in developing countries. In FY1998, around ¥1.242 billion was distributed under this scheme.

Flexible and finely-tuned NGO activities can be effective in a wide range of areas, including health care, sanitation, human resources development and environmental conservation. NGOs⁴ were among the first on the scene to begin providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the many thousands of refugees who fled the escalation of the Kosovo conflict in March 1999. This swift reaction renewed awareness of the important role played by NGOs in large-scale emergency humanitarian relief activities. To support NGO efforts, the Japanese government decided to provide for greater flexibility in operation of the NGO subsidy framework and other NGO support schemes.⁵ Later, acting in response to the mounting need for urgent and massive assistance for the repatriation of Kosovar refugees after the peace agreement in June, the government in August decided to introduce and enhanced support measure for emergency humanitarian assistance projects undertaken by Japanese NGOs. Specifically, aside from the existing NGO support schemes, a channel for grant-based funding of substantially higher amounts was opened for Japanese NGOs to cover the necessary costs associated with the startup of large-scale emergency assistance projects in Kosovo.⁶ Efforts will also be made to speed up the disbursement of financial support to NGOs in this context, paring the time involved in examining and approving NGO applications from several months (as is the case in the existing NGO support schemes) down to around a month. In addition to Kosovar refugee repatriation assistance, this measure has also been made available for Japanese NGOs' relief activities in response to the earthquake in northwest Turkey this August, should specific demands arise.

1.2 New Forms of Assistance for NGOs

Although the subsidy framework for NGO activities has taken root, one outcome of policies now in effect government-wide is that budgeting for subsidy purposes in general has been on the decline. This state of affairs has made it necessary to improve and expand the various schemes to satisfy the diverse assistance needs of NGOs. It has also prompted growing calls for measures particularly in terms of NGOs reinforcing their organizational structure and preparing for aid operations. While NGO development activities continue to expand, NGO structures and implementation mechanisms have in many cases not kept pace with this evolution, and a number of NGOs continue to operate on extremely weak foundations. In FY1999, the government responded by introducing various measures with the objective of helping NGOs establish the infrastructure required for their activities.

One of those measures is a new "consultant framework," which assigns consultants to several Japanese NGOs to provide various consulting services with a bearing on NGO activities. Consultants provide their services not only to NGOs, but to members of the public in general, and are prepared to discuss a wide range of topics relating to NGO operations: for example, the know-how required for NGO organization and management, how to handle procedures for registration as a corporation based on the Law to Promote Specific Non-Profit Activities, the access to information on aid-receiving countries, and subsidy application procedures. Consultants themselves comprise NGO staff with a rich experience in international aid activities, certified public accountants, lawyers, and other experts.

Consultants and other NGO personnel also lead study seminars which have been set up for the purpose of reinforcing NGO activities. At these seminars, participants discuss and find solutions to problems in NGO management and operation.

Another undertaking is a research scheme which involves recruiting junior professional officers (JPOs) planning to join international organizations, postgraduates from development-related graduate school programs, and other young professionals who want to be involved in the field of international cooperation, and having them participate in actual NGO projects. Their task is to examine the problems and challenges faced by NGOs, and provide suggestions and recommendations on future NGO formats or modalities.

1.3 Future Issues to Be Addressed in NGO Assistance

As noted above, the NGO subsidy framework has been supporting NGO development cooperation activities for 10 years now, contributing significantly to the provision of finely-tailored assistance to developing countries. However, many NGOs in Europe and North America have been in operation for quite some time, are well-established financially,⁷ and have also been assigned a substantial amount of responsibility for the implementation of government aid projects. By comparison, most NGOs in Japan still face the necessity of expanding and strengthening their functions. In the process, though, they also will be expected to improve their accountability to the public, particularly with regard to their functions, management, and the content of aid activities.

To help NGOs address their own problems and accommodate varied demand for development assistance projects and emergency relief, the Japanese government recognizes the importance of continuing to expand its efforts to aid NGOs and create an environment conducive to their operations through the introduction of a consultant framework, the research scheme and other such devices.

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