Section 2 Human Security and ODA

4. Promotion of "Women in Development" (WID)

Women represent half the world's population, and play a vital role in the productive activities of society. Real progress in the developing world thus requires that women be fully able to exercise their abilities together with men toward the social and economic development of their countries, and to reap the consequent benefits. Over the 1960s and 70s, the international community became increasingly aware of the important role and status of women in development, and of the need to factor this into assistance programs. Development assistance based on such a Women in Development (WID) approach contributes to balanced and sustainable development and helps to improve the status of women and close gender disparities in developing countries.

Japan's ODA Charter thus clearly states that "full consideration will be given to the active participation of women in development, and to their obtaining benefits from development" as one means of ensuring effective aid implementation. Acting on this basic policy, Japan announced its "WID Initiative" in 1995 at the fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The initiative expresses Japan's intention to devote attention to the task of closing gender disparity and empowerment of women in society. Japan will also endeavor to increase WID-related development assistance, with priority placed on (i) education, (ii) health, and (iii) participation in economic and social activities.

To achieve these goals, Japan has engaged actively in projects in which women will reap the primary benefit: for example, the construction of vocational training centers, the provision of vocational training and literacy education, and cooperation in maternal and child health care. In addition, it now strives to place more emphasis on the empowerment of women at the project formulation and implementation stages by having experts in gender and WID issues participate in survey teams, or by conducting hearings with local people, especially women, to build their views and opinions into aid projects.

TOPICS 8.The Philippines' National Vocational Training and Development Center for Women

5. Countermeasures against Drug Abuse

Drug abuse is a cross-border problem from which Japan too is not immune, and which demands close international cooperation that combines the efforts of both developing and industrialized countries. Japan has been providing assistance in various respects to address the problem of drug abuse in developing counties. In particular, the Five-Year Plan for Drug Abuse Prevention of Japan announced in May 1998 calls for stronger efforts in technical cooperation for prevention of illicit trafficking and drug control, assistance for the cultivation of alternative crops, assistance for Information, Education and Communication programs, and closer cooperation with the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP).

In FY1998, Japan contributed around $3.82 million to the UNDCP. The government also held the Asian Drug Law Enforcement Conference in Tokyo in February 1999, when it was announced that around ¥200 million would be provided to UNDCP projects in order to improve the drug investigation and analysis capabilities of the Southeast Asian countries. Japan is also pursuing countermeasures against drug production in the so-called "Golden Triangle" and the surrounding areas where drugs are produced.²⁷ In Myanmar in FY1998, Japan provided ¥800 million in grant for the increase of food production, and also deployed an expert in buckwheat cultivation to urge local residents to make a living without relying on the traditional cultivation of drug crops. Myanmar's government has been working in close cooperation with the UNDCP pursuing rural development projects including those aimed at eradicating poppy cultivation or encouraging the adoption of alternative cash crops. These efforts should be supported.

At the UN General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem in June 1998, resolutions including the idea to eliminate or significantly reduce the illicit cultivation of drug plants by 2008 were adopted. In accordance with this idea, Japan will continue to faster international cooperation based on its own Five-Year Plan for Drug Abuse Prevention of Japan, and to study ways of how to put the result of the Special Session.

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