Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2010
3. Matters Essential to Effective Implementation
(1) Enhancement of Evaluation
In order to implement ODA more effectively and efficiently, it is important to get accurate knowledge and improve the aid implementation process and its effects. To this end, the relevant ministries and agencies including MOFA as well as implementing agencies such as JICA conduct monitoring and evaluation.
ODA evaluation is positioned in the framework of the PDCA Cycle (Plan Do Check Act). The lessons and advice received from the evaluation results are conveyed to the departments in charge and the governments of aid-receiving countries, so as to be reflected (provide feedback for) the process of formulating and implementing ODA policy. In addition, it is necessary to explain to citizens how ODA is used and what effects were achieved. Thus, the government posts ODA evaluations on the Internet in order to fulfill its accountability to the public.
Currently, evaluations conducted by MOFA focus particularly on policy-level evaluations (country policy evaluations and priority issue evaluations), while program-level evaluations (aid scheme evaluations) and project-level evaluations are performed by JICA.
In regards to MOFA’s policy-level evaluations and program-level evaluations, evaluations are conducted from the perspectives of the relevance of the policy, the effectiveness of the results, and the appropriateness of the process. To guarantee the objectivity and transparency of the evaluations, third-party evaluations are carried out. Since FY2004 the conduct of evaluations had been commissioned to the Advisory Meeting on ODA Evaluation, but as of FY2009 this meeting has been temporarily suspended in order to examine more effective modalities for ODA evaluations.
Regarding the project-level evaluations and theme evaluations performed by JICA, on the other hand, evaluations of the three aid schemes of loan aid, technical cooperation, and grant aid (which were added beginning in FY2009) have been carried out in the wake of the launch of the new JICA in October 2008. Hereafter, consistent evaluations will be conducted spanning from the preliminary stage of each project through to the implementation and ex-post stages, and a consistent evaluation mechanism is being set in place for the three aid schemes. These evaluations are conducted from the perspectives of relevance, effectiveness (impact), efficiency, and sustainability, with external evaluations conducted for the ex-post evaluations.
Aside from these, MOFA also conducts policy evaluations concerning economic cooperation policies in general, pre-evaluations on projects that exceed a certain amount of money, and ex-post evaluations on projects that have not begun after five years and those that have not concluded after ten years (Note 43). These are carried out pursuant to the Government Policy Evaluations Act (hereinafter referred to as the Policy Evaluations Act).
Respective follow-ups are performed for both the advice and lessons obtained from these evaluations, and these are reflected in the planning and implementation of new projects.
●See Part 1, Chapter 2 regarding reviews of ODA evaluations.
Notes:
(43) Projects that have not begun after five years are projects where the loan agreement has not been signed or where the loan disbursement has not begun after five years have elapsed following the decision to implement the project. Projects that have not concluded after ten years refer to projects where the loan disbursements have not concluded after ten years have elapsed following the decision to implement the project.