Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2005
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Part II ODA DISBURSEMENTS IN FISCAL YEAR 2004
Summary
Part II, Chapter 1 outlines Japan's ODA disbursements in 2004 based on DAC statistics, and Part II, Chapter 2 provides a general explanation of the implementation status of ODA in FY2004, including new developments of aid policies.
Japan's ODA disbursements in 2004 (calendar year) amounted to approximately US$8,905.5 million, a 0.3% increase from the previous year, and Japan continued to be the second-largest donor country after the United States among DAC countries.
Major ODA-related activities in FY2004 include the formulation of the New Medium-Term ODA Policy, formulation of sector-specific initiatives, and assistance in response to the major earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and the tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
In accordance with the ODA Charter revised in August 2003, the government of Japan thoroughly reviewed the previous Medium-Term ODA Policy, and in February 2005 formulated the New Medium-Term ODA Policy. The New Medium-Term ODA Policy clearly sets forth Japan's positions and actions in accordance with the ODA Charter, focusing mainly on issues that Japan needs to present at home and abroad, with the goal of implementing ODA more efficiently and effectively.
In addition, the government of Japan formulated three sector-specific initiatives since FY2004 in order to clarify and promote sector-specific assistance policies. In January 2005, Japan announced the Initiative for Disaster Reduction through ODA, which illustrates Japan's basic policies concerning cooperation on disaster reduction through ODA; in March, the Initiative on Gender and Development ( GAD ), which is aimed at achieving gender equality in all areas of ODA; and in June, the "Health and Development" Initiative, which places particular emphasis on contributing to achieving health-related MDGs.
In response to the major earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in December 2004 that caused damage on an unprecedented scale to the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, Japan, as an Asian partner, announced that it would provide assistance to the maximum extent possible in the three ways of financial resources, human resources, and knowledge and expertise, and promptly implemented this assistance.
With regard to measures by regions and priority issues, Japan has been advancing various measures in line with the ODA Charter and the New Medium-Term ODA Policy, including assistance for peace-building, namely ODA to Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, Japan has been promoting ODA reform in line with the ODA Charter and the New Medium-Term ODA Policy through such efforts as 1) strengthening policy consultations and local assistance implementation systems in order to implement ODA more efficiently and effectively, 2) promoting public participation in assistance activities by, for instance, increasing transparency and actively publicizing these activities, and 3) enhancing evaluations, preventing fraud and corruption, and ensuring appropriate procedures.