Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2008
Next PageMain Text > Part III Official Development Assistance in FY2007 > Chapter 2 Details about Japan's Official Development Assistance > Section 5. Formulation and Implementation of ODA Policy > 2. Increasing Public Participation > (2) Human Resources Development and Development Research
(a) Human Resources Development
Due to the increasing diversity and complexity of development issues, recruiting and developing personnel with sophisticated knowledge, abundant experience, and communication skills in foreign languages is essential today for effective and efficient implementation of international cooperation. In 1990, the Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development (FASID) was established to serve as an organization for promoting the concept of an international development university. FASID provides various types of training for capacity building relating to development theory, policy, and operation to a broad segment of society including government-related persons, NGOs, and persons associated with private sector enterprises. It also conducts research concerning important topics in the development assistance field and widely publishes the results of this research.13 In April 2000, in cooperation with the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), FASID established a joint international development program in the master's course of this university. Furthermore, FASID dispatches experts for giving lectures to development cooperation related university departments.
Since before its merger with the former JBIC, JICA has expanded training for assistance personnel, ranging from the junior specialists system for the development of young specialists who possess a certain degree of expertise yet lack experience and an international cooperation specialists system for those who already possess a certain degree of specialization and experience. These efforts can promote human resource development for Japanese ODA projects, and meet the immediate staffing needs of NGOs, international agencies, and other organizations.
In addition, the JICA International Cooperation Personnel Registration System has been established to provide an effective means of recruiting and utilizing motivated personnel with specialized skills. This system provides information on job openings, staff registration, information on various types of training and seminars, and career development consultations for international cooperation-related bodies such as JICA, NGOs, and international organizations. Furthermore, the Institute of Developing Economies Advanced School (IDEAS) of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) provides training aimed at developing highly-skilled development experts, so as to contribute to the economic and social development of developing countries. The activities of this school are broad and diverse in scope, with training provided to foreigners as well as Japanese people.
National Graduate Institute For Policy Studies (GRIPS) implementing an international development program in English (Source: GRIPS (Photographer: Masao Nishikawa))
(b) Development Research
In order to provide effective and efficient assistance, it is essential to ascertain the needs of developing countries and assistance trends in the international community. For this reason, Japan is engaged in proactive efforts directed toward research studies and application of the knowledge acquired through such studies.
JICA's former Institute for International Cooperation has organized study groups that consisted primarily of people affiliated with JICA. As the institute obtained knowledge from external experts from universities and research institutes depending on the study content, it carried out project strategy research, providing analysis and advice for the establishment of project strategies in new fields relating to international cooperation and analysis of assistance trends and conceptualization of development theory. Furthermore, the institute was engaged in research on assistance methods, which systematized project experience and considered assistance management methods. In 2007, it conducted a study with other donor and recipient countries and international organizations, "Effective Technical Cooperation for Skill Development." A report on this research was made at the 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held in Accra, Ghana, in 2008, and other vital activities were carried out.
As part of assistance to ensure that the development policies and projects of developing countries are formulated and implemented effectively and efficiently and that more significant results are achieved, formerly JBIC Institute (JBICI), which had been in place in the former JBIC until October 2008, carried out surveys and research into various issues relating to the economies of developing countries, development policy, institutions, and projects by using the knowledge of researchers in Japan and abroad, giving rise to a number of results including offering policy advice through diverse publications, field-level seminars, and international conferences.
In the founding of New JICA in October 2008, separate clauses were stipulated in the law regarding survey and research projects, as a result of the recent ODA reforms, trends in the international community, and the growing necessity for survey and research work. In line with this, a development institute has been established in New JICA. This institute is to examine and make suggestions for improving aid effectiveness, while it is to carry out research that can send a strong message on Japan's efforts abroad and that can expand the value of Japan's development assistance. The target of study in the developmental research of New JICA extends to the wide-ranging developmental challenges and policies of developing countries, and it is not limited solely to concerned parties at home. While allowing consideration for transmission to the governments of developing countries and the international donor community, empirical and policy-oriented research that relies on a theoretical framework is to proceed. The present scope of research spans the four areas of (1) peace and development; (2) growth and poverty reduction; (3) global issues such as climate change; and (4) aid strategies.
At the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE) run by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), researchers take the initiative in collaborative studies on politics, economy, and society of developing countries, jointly carried out by experts at Japanese and overseas universities and research institutions. In FY2007, for instance, IDE promoted studies with emphasis on four areas of: China and India; regional integration of East Asia; poverty reduction; and development strategies.