As stated earlier, international development priorities have been incorporated into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the MDGs have been recognized as the common targets of the international community through a series of international conferences. The MDGs contain targets for specific sectors, such as education, health (especially infectious diseases), and the environment. Recently, it has become very common for discussions to be held by sector, not only at major international development-related conferences but also in the context of cooperation among donor countries and organizations and aid coordination in developing countries in the field. Within this trend, the MDGs have emerged as an important pillar of economic cooperation.

As explained in Chapter 1, Section 1 (2) D, Japan believes that achieving the MDGs, including poverty reduction, will depend on active cooperation toward sustainable economic growth in the developing countries through the promotion of trade and investment, improvement of economic infrastructure, institution building, and capacity building. Japan is also expanding its efforts in areas directly related to the MDGs, such as education, infectious diseases, the environment, and water and sanitation. Specific initiatives are described below.

(1) New Aid Policy for Education

The situation regarding education remains serious, as an estimated 115 million children are not enrolled in school, and 860 million people--two-thirds of them women--are illiterate. Education is a priority area for Japan's ODA both from the viewpoint of "human development"--the acquisition of the knowledge and capabilities necessary to choose one's own future on his or her own--and also from the recognition that capacity building forms the basis for nation building. Furthermore, education is a foundation for growth and employment and is vital for economic development.

Efforts by the International Community In the education sector, universal primary education--the acquisition of basic reading, writing, and calculation skills--is one of the major goals among the MDGs. In April 2000 the World Education Forum was held in Dakar, Senegal, and since then an initiative called "Education for All (EFA)"¹⁰ has been underway worldwide, with the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) taking a leading role. UNESCO has been holding meetings of the High-Level Group on EFA and the Working Group on EFA since 2001 and taking the initiative in efforts by the international community in education. At the end of 2001 the Group of Eight (G8) established an expert working group on education assistance to developing countries, and it announced its own recommendations at the Kananaskis Summit in 2002. The World Bank has meanwhile introduced the Fast Track Initiative (FTI)¹¹ to support EFA, especially from the financial side. At its 57th session in 2002, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution by consensus, advocated by Japan, to proclaim the 10-year period beginning on January 1, 2005, the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development to strengthen international efforts in education.

New Measures Announced in Education Assistance by Japan Japan has historically regarded education as the cornerstone of nation building. This is reflected in the emphasis it has placed on building elementary and secondary schools to improve access and opportunities to education, providing assistance for scientific and mathematical education, and dispatching Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs). Japan’s assistance has placed particular emphasis on scientific and mathematical education, which can facilitate job training in developing countries. Following the World Education Forum in Dakar in 2000, where a new major trend in assisting education was formulated, Japan announced a new measure on assistance for the education sector at the G8 Kananaskis Summit in June 2002, deciding to provide assistance of more than \250 billion in education over the next five years to low-income countries that are experiencing difficulty in achieving the goals set down in the Dakar Framework for Action.¹² It also announced the Basic Education for Growth Initiative (BEGIN) that states priority areas for Japan’s assistance in basic education.

These measures were incorporated into the Koizumi Initiative, a package of policy measures for sustainable development announced by Japan prior to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in August, and developing countries have expressed high expectations of Japan’s concrete support. While taking note of international trends, Japan intends to provide its assistance in education according to this initiative, emphasizing improvements in access to and opportunities for education, educational quality, and public administration and management.

Adjusting Domestic Institutions for Further Cooperation in Education In October 2001 the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) organized the Committee for International Cooperation in Education chaired by Chie Nakane, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo, which discussed such issues as international cooperation in primary and secondary education. Based on the recommendations of the committee's final report, submitted in July 2002, Japan will undertake drastic improvements of domestic institutions (to develop their intellectual infrastructure) while making effective use of Japan's intellectual resources. It will seek to share Japan's experiences in development cooperation in primary and secondary education and enhance support for Japanese teachers who will be dispatched to developing countries. For this purpose, a cooperation base system with two core universities (Hiroshima University and Tsukuba University) will be built and a support center to effectively utilize the intellectual resources of Japanese universities will be established.

10. Education for All (EFA) is an initiative that reaffirms the importance of basic education and incorporates national and international obligations to provide basic education for all, launched at the World Conference on Education for All in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990.

11. Based on the Education for All Action Plan announced by the World Bank in April 2002, the FTI provides concentrated support to some of the 88 developing countries that will have difficulty in achieving universal primary education by 2015?which is one of the MDGs?without outside assistance. Around 10 countries that meet certain criteria will be selected to receive this support. The plan is currently in the pilot phase.

12. Based on the Education for All Action Plan announced by the World Bank in April 2002, the FTI provides concentrated support to some of the 88 developing countries that will have difficulty in achieving universal primary education by 2015 - which is one of the MDGs - without outside assistance. Around 10 countries that meet certain criteria will be selected to receive this support. The plan is currently in the pilot phase.