(1) Partnership with NGOs and Local Governments

Assistance activities by civil society, including NGOs, are becoming increasingly important in the international community because they enable not only fine-tuned and effective assistance tailored to the needs of local communities and residents in developing countries but also speedy and flexible responses in providing emergency humanitarian aid.

Recognizing the merits of these activities and the increasing presence and role of NGOs, the government identified the strengthening of partnerships with NGOs as a key policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in the "Ten Reform Principles to Ensure an Open Foreign Ministry." The strengthening of relations with NGOs has also consistently been a prominent theme in subsequent reform proposals, such as those of the Second Consultative Committee on ODA Reform and MOFA's Reform Advisory Board.

These recommendations have resulted in the "Fifteen Specific Measures for ODA Reform" and the "Action Program for Foreign Ministry Reform," which contain the following measures for strengthening partnerships with NGOs: (1) reinforcing the functions of the existing NGO-MOFA Regular Meetings; (2) holding regular meetings between Japan's overseas diplomatic missions and NGOs (NGO-Embassy Meetings); and (3) introducing grant assistance for Japanese NGO projects and the new JICA Partnership Programs to enhance the capacity of NGOs and support their activities.

NGO-MOFA Regular Meetings have been held four times a year since 1996. (Similar meetings have been held by the Ministry of Finance [MOF] since 1997, the Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] since 1998, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation [JBIC] since 2001.) Under the reinforced structure, plenary meetings and two subcommittees have been established. Plenary meetings will henceforth be held twice a year, while the two subcommittees to discuss ODA policy and promote collaboration between NGOs and MOFA will meet three times a year. The subcommittee on NGO-MOFA collaboration and the subcommittee on ODA policy held their first meetings in November and December 2002, respectively.

NGO-Embassy Meetings among the staff of Japanese embassies, local offices of JICA and JBIC, and NGOs began in fiscal year 2002 in developing countries where a relatively large number of Japanese NGOs are active. So far these meetings have been held in 11 countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Kenya.

As for financial support for NGO activities, the government established grant assistance for Japanese NGO projects in 2002 (with a budget of ¥2 billion) by integrating part of the existing grant assistance for grassroots projects by Japanese and international NGO activities and the system of grants for supporting NGO emergency activities. Among the expenses the new scheme covers are NGOs' head office expenses, which were not eligible for assistance before. But it also obliges NGOs to accept external auditing of all applicable projects. Thus the new system requires NGOs to discharge more accountability than before. In September 2002 this assistance was used to provide ¥610 million to the Japan Platform, and it is also currently supporting various other NGO development assistance projects. JICA, too, is making efforts to strengthen its support for NGOs and other groups. In fiscal year 2002, for example, it established new JICA Partnership Programs (with a budget of ¥952 million) by reorganizing and integrating its former partnership and community empowerment programs.

In view of the fact that the management capabilities and financial foundations of Japanese NGOs are still weak compared to those of their European and US counterparts, MOFA in fiscal year 1999 launched Capacity Building Support for NGOs and is implementing various measures to bolster NGOs' organization and expertise. The three main measures are as follows:

A. NGO Advisor Program Advisors are appointed at major NGOs around the country to respond to various NGO-related questions and inquiries from citizens. (Twenty-nine advisors were appointed by 28 groups in fiscal year 2002.)

B. NGO Researchers Program People with professional knowledge and experience in such fields as NGO management, accounting, and development projects are dispatched to NGOs to bolster their organization and expertise. (Fifteen persons were dispatched to 15 organizations in fiscal year 2002.)

C. NGO Study Groups Study meetings are held to support NGOs that are active in the three sectors of health and medical care, education, and agriculture and to improve their expertise.

In addition, since fiscal year 2001 short-term training both in Japan and overseas has been offered with the aim of boosting the capacity of NGOs. In fiscal year 2001 NGO staff members were dispatched for training in the United States with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and US NGOs. Similar training is being provided in the United Kingdom in fiscal year 2002.

Local governments also engage in a variety of international cooperation activities through the acceptance of trainees, the dispatch of experts, exchange programs for youths, and other forms of personnel exchange that grow out of friendships and tie-ups with other countries like sister-city agreements and overseas emigration. Linking these activities with ODA is beneficial in that it enables assistance to be finely tuned to the needs of specific localities. Such interaction also gives citizens firsthand experience in ODA. Thus far the government has provided financial support for such local-government activities as the acceptance of trainees and the dispatch of experts through subsidies for local authorities. (In fiscal year 2001 the government provided subsidies totaling approximately ¥790 million to 46 prefectures and three government-designated cities.) As part of the new JICA Partnership Programs that were introduced in fiscal year 2002, JICA is supporting international cooperation activities proposed by local governments. It has also increased the number of "Coordinators for International Cooperation" (47 persons in fiscal year 2002) who are assigned to each prefecture to serve as a link between JICA and local authorities, publicizing JICA projects, and promoting collaboration with the international cooperation projects of local governments.

JBIC, which implements yen loans, meanwhile, introduced pilot studies for project formulation and identification in fiscal year 2001, under which it asks NGOs, local governments, and others to conduct surveys so that it can incorporate the views and ideas of a broader spectrum of the public into the formulation of yen loan projects. JBIC is also endeavoring to further promote public participation. In fiscal year 2002, it introduced the Seminar for Promoting Public Participation in JBIC's ODA Operation for NGOs, local governments, and others, which is a program to explore the possibilities of yen loan collaboration through local inspections of yen loan projects as well as dialogue between developing country governments and NGOs.

Furthermore, in accordance with the JBIC Guidelines for Confirmation of Environmental and Social Considerations, published in April 2002, JBIC strives to disclose environment-related information before making loan project decisions and to actively incorporate the opinions of the public in its decision making. Also, through the introduction of the Special Term for Economic Partnership (STEP) in July 2002, under which yen loans tied to procurement from Japanese companies are provided at concessionary rates, JBIC endeavors to put to use the outstanding knowledge, expertise, and technology of Japan's private sector.

(2) Exploring, Fostering, and Utilizing Human Resources

In order to respond to the diversification of development issues and to coordinate assistance with the international community, it is essential to foster and secure human resources with a high level of knowledge and experience in specialized fields and familiarity with the conditions of developing countries and with excellent communication skills in foreign languages. Discovering and fostering human resources in development-related fields are also important for promoting public participation and enhancing efficiency, two key goals of ODA reform.

In response to these needs, the Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development (FASID), established in 1990 to promote the concept of an "International Development University," is implementing various programs, such as training human resources in assistance-related fields, dispatching researchers and others overseas, and conducting surveys and research. In cooperation with the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), FASID established the FASID/GRIPS Joint Graduate Program (leading to a master's degree from GRIPS) in April 2000 and launched a doctorate program in April 2002. By offering advanced graduate studies that are practical and internationally valid on such subjects as development strategy, project management, and poverty reduction, these programs aim to equip people who are capable of playing a key role in the Japanese government, ODA implementation bodies, and other organizations and of becoming candidates for management positions in international organizations. FASID also dispatches instructors to Nagoya University and several other national and private universities to teach courses concerning development cooperation.

In fiscal year 2001 JICA, which implements technical cooperation, expanded its Associate Specialist program, appointing capable youths with interest and experience in international cooperation for assistance work in the field in order to provide them with opportunities to further enhance their knowledge and expertise. In order to properly meet the diversified needs of developing countries, JICA vigorously promotes public participation in ODA through the "open recruitment" system, the utilization of private-sector human resources, and use of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs) and Senior Volunteers, as well as through the Public Participation Promotion Project,¹⁷ which was established in fiscal year 2002.

Moreover, JICA is preparing to establish a Human Resources Development Center for International Cooperation (provisional name) within JICA in fiscal year 2003. The creation of such a center was cited in the "Fifteen Specific Measures for ODA Reform" and proposed in the final report of the Second Consultative Committee on ODA Reform as a way of promoting an information network on human resources in fields related to international cooperation and of matching human resources to needs on the ground.

17. In order to meet the expanding needs of developing countries for fine-tuned and flexible assistance that directly benefits their citizens, the Public Participation Promotion Project, along with the new JICA Partnership Programs--which encourage NGOs and others with know-how to participate in international cooperation activities--aims to promote the public's understanding of international cooperation and to foster the skills needed to respond to such needs among people from a broad cross-section of the public.

(3) Development Education

The promotion of international understanding has been taken up as one of the subjects covered in the "period for integrated study" that was introduced in Japanese schools in fiscal year 2002, and Japanese schoolchildren are enjoying more and more opportunities to gain knowledge of the problems faced by developing countries in the classroom. Development education, which seeks to stimulate interest in development problems, instills greater international-mindedness, encourages the understanding and promotion of ODA and other forms of international cooperation, and fosters children's appetite for international cooperation. In order to promote development education, the government, JICA, and JBIC are taking the following measures.

The government has long distributed development education teaching materials to elementary and junior high schools. In early 2002, when the "period for integrated study" began, it distributed development education teaching packages (consisting of Photo Language Quiz Cards, instructional materials, and a video) to 2,000 public libraries and 3,000 elementary and junior high schools around the country.

For 10 years now the government, JICA, and JBIC have been making efforts to disseminate development education by holding seminars on the subject in various parts of the country, dispatching speakers to elementary and junior high schools, welcoming children on school trips and other occasions, supplying teaching materials and information relating to development education via their websites, enabling teachers to visit ODA field sites, and organizing essay contests.

The "Fifteen Specific Measures for ODA Reform" announced in July recommended that all domestic JICA offices carry out development education programs in order to explore, foster, and utilize human resources, and in fiscal year 2002 JICA implemented such programs as seminars for development education instructors and a scheme offering junior high school students practical experience in development. JICA is also making efforts to bring development education closer to local communities and to disseminate it at the elementary- and junior-high-school levels, such as by assigning former JOCVs who worked in developing countries to serve as "Coordinators for International Cooperation" in international exchange associations and other organizations in all 47 prefectures of Japan.

(4) Information Disclosure, Public Relations, and Interactive Dialogue

Information disclosure and public relations play an important role in gaining the understanding and support of the public, which are essential to continuing ODA projects, and they were also key components of the "Fifteen Specific Measures for ODA Reform." The following concrete steps are being taken to further information disclosure, public relations, and interactive dialogue.

Expansion of Website MOFA has created an ODA website (http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/) to introduce the subject in an easy-to-understand manner and also to post ODA-related information, such as outlines of ODA policies and a list of exchanges of notes, in a prompt and timely fashion. Also, MOFA is preparing to launch a list of project sites with photographs (the "ODA One-Stop Shop") to visually enhance the descriptions of ODA sites.

ODA Mail Magazine In addition to the ODA website, MOFA began issuing the ODA Mail Magazine in July 2002. As of the end of November 2002, the e-mail bulletin had been issued eight times. The magazine relays timely topics and information relating to economic cooperation and includes episodes written by Japanese embassy staff members, JOCVs, and Senior Volunteers about their actual experiences in the field of assistance and introduces ODA-related anecdotes. Anyone can receive the magazine by registering on the ODA website. As of November 2002, more than 2,600 people had registered.

ODA Town Meetings As part of an effort to promote dialogue with the public, ODA town meetings are held regularly at various places around the country to inform the public of how ODA reform is being carried out and to learn directly what members of the general public think about ODA and these reform efforts. Town meetings were held on five occasions in fiscal year 2001, and in fiscal year 2002 meetings were held in Nagoya, Akita, Kanazawa, Tokyo, Ube, and Osaka and were the scene of frank discussions between members of the Board on Comprehensive ODA Strategy, senior officials of MOFA's Economic Cooperation Bureau, and members of the general public.

Dispatch of Monitors The aim of the Monitoring Group of Citizens on Japan's ODA is to promote a proper understanding of the significance and importance of ODA by selecting monitors from among members of the general public who have an interest in ODA and dispatching them to assistance sites, thereby giving them a firsthand opportunity to inspect Japan's ODA projects. This program was started in fiscal year 1999, and by fiscal year 2002 a total of 358 monitors had viewed ODA projects in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Participants have reported, for example, that they have deepened their understanding of the role that ODA plays in the development and stability of developing countries and of the need for assistance. It is hoped that this program will continue to serve to deepen the public's understanding of ODA.