Section 5 Assistance for Developing Countries with the Participation of All the People – New actors in international cooperation

The issues faced today by the international community in the area of development are diverse. While poverty remains a large issue, other global issues that we must tackle together with developing countries continue to increase, including infectious diseases, climate change, and rising food and fuel prices. In order to conduct effective international cooperation, it is necessary to work together with local governments, NGOs, private-sector companies, and universities, etc., as opposed to working only with the central government. Through JICA volunteer operations including the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), there are many people involved in aid-related activities. Additionally, we should not forget the many people supporting ODA as development consultants and at companies that implement aid projects since they unfailingly perform important work at their posts in developing countries, often under harsh living conditions. Furthermore, local governments and NGOs also play an essential role in providing aid. It is thus necessary to further strengthen the mutual cooperation among the many key players involved in this type of assistance. ODA implemented by the government encourages these partners to participate and makes use of their specialized knowledge and financial power in resolving various issues. Such collaboration is expected to produce a synergistic effect. Using their respective fields of expertise, companies and NGOs have worked hand in hand with the government to provide assistance for developing countries. Some recent examples of this are introduced here.

The first example is a combination of ODA and a private company. The training project conducted by Terumo Corporation is the first case of public-private partnership in the medical field.

●Public-private partnership for training Mexican physicians

In September 2011, Terumo Corporation and JICA jointly held a training session on cardiac catheterization techniques.* For this training, five medical doctors from Mexico were invited to Japan, and with the cooperation of the Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, training on inserting catheters from the wrist was conducted (a catheter is a flexible tube inserted into the body for diagnostic or treatment purposes). In Mexico, ischemic heart disease (a disease in which blockage or narrowing of the coronary arteries due to arterial sclerosis, etc. inhibits the flow of blood to the heart. Commonly results in myocardial infarction (heart attack) or angina) is the second leading cause of death. Despite the large number of patients, there is a shortage of physicians with the skills to perform cardiac catheterizations. In addition, even if they do possess such techniques, the most common method used involves inserting the catheter through the femoral artery in the groin area. The purpose of this training was to allow these physicians from Mexico to acquire the newest catheterization techniques involving insertion through the wrist. This technique is safer and places less of a burden on the patient, in addition to being low-cost. As a result of the training and through the widespread use of this method, medical costs were cut and the level of medical treatment was raised. Also, a ripple effect of the techniques is expected to extend to other Central American countries and an economic impact is anticipated through the growth of "medical tourism" (travelling to another country for the purpose of receiving medical care), which is being promoted by the Government of Mexico. Prior to the training, Terumo Corporation gathered information and made arrangements in Mexico, provided the facilities and necessary equipment for the training, and made arrangements with the Japanese instructors. Meanwhile, JICA completed procedures for accepting training, as well as monitored and evaluated the training program.

Physicians from Mexico at the training site.

By accepting technical trainees or dispatching experts, local governments are already playing an important role in international cooperation.

●Collaborations with local governments

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) enhances collaboration with local governments in Japan in order to provide assistance for the various urban problems faced by emerging and developing countries and contribute to expanding business opportunities for Japanese companies at the same time. In emerging and developing countries, various urban problems such as energy and water shortages, traffic congestion, pollution, and waste products have been generated as a result of their rapid economic growth. Japanese local governments have a wealth of experience in overcoming similar problems during the country's period of rapid growth and thereafter, and have accumulated knowledge, understanding, and technology that is beneficial to emerging and developing countries. Through networking at a local government level, efforts to assist emerging and developing countries continue to progress. Various examples of this type of assistance include cooperation by the city of Kitakyushu with Surabaya, Indonesia for an energy project, with Cambodia and Viet Nam for water projects, as well as cooperation by the city of Yokohama with Cebu in the Philippines for a water project.

While these endeavors by local governments are supported by Japan as a nation, MOFA also proactively uses the technology and know-how of Japanese local governments when providing support for resolving urban problems of emerging and developing countries through ODA. By collaborating with Japanese local governments, ODA projects such as formulating urban development plans for emerging and developing countries, improving the capacity of local governments, gathering information on electrical power, transport, and water needs will continue to be implemented. Through imparting the knowledge, experience, and know-how of local governments upon developing countries these projects are highly useful in the further development of the developing countries. As a result of such projects, needs for Japan's well-developed urban environmental infrastructure are discovered and smoother overseas expansions by Japanese companies can be expected in the future. Additionally, the JICA Partnership Program (Local Government Type) has been newly incorporated into the FY 2012 supplementary budget in order to implement locally led technical cooperation based on requests from local governments in industries for which local government and local companies have a high level of expertise (e.g. water business, etc.). By providing full support for technical cooperation projects led by local governments, their efforts in promoting the international expansion of local companies will be actively driven, subsequently leading to regional revitalization.

Officials from the Kitakyushu City Waterworks Bureau provide guidance for local officials at a water filtration plant in Siem Reap, Cambodia. (Photo: Kyodo News)

Collaborations with highly mobile NGOs are conducted in a variety of areas. One important area is emergency aid.

●Collaborations with NGOs for emergency humanitarian aid

Japan Platform (JPF) is an NGO that works together with the government and the business community to provide emergency humanitarian aid. JPF was established as a tripartite cooperation among NGOs, the business community, and the Japanese government, who work together to provide effective and prompt assistance when natural disasters or conflicts occur. Its main objective is to smoothly implement emergency humanitarian aid projects using government funds and various types of support from private-sector companies. For example, after the earthquake that struck in Haiti in 2010, items donated by private companies such as loading shovels, blankets, flashlights, protective masks, t-shirts, and sandals were used as a part of the assistance provided for victims. More recently, activities have been conducted in other regions including Pakistan and Southeast Asia, where there has been heavy flood damage, South Sudan, where refugees and internally displaced people have begun to return home, Afghanistan, where conflicts have been going on for many years, and areas in the Horn of Africa that have experienced severe droughts. In these regions, emergency supplies are distributed, cooperation projects in water and sanitation areas are conducted, and repatriation support has been provided.

JPF members conducting relief activities in the Horn of Africa region that has been ravaged by drought. (Photo: Japan Platform)

Cooperation is offered by using the specialized expertise of NGOs with their unique knowledge, experience, and technologies.

●Collaborations with NGOs using techniques originated in Japan

The NGO Community Road Empowerment (CORE) provides assistance in the maintenance of rural roads using a method suitable for local conditions to solve an important issue faced by residents of farming communities in developing countries. In Kenya, FY 2011 Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects was utilized to implement a project for rural road maintenance using the traditional Japanese "Do-nou" (sandbags) method, which is also valuable for the continued revitalization of farmer's groups in the area. Since the condition of roads worsens in the rainy season, farmers are unable to transport their products. Therefore, for this project, the technique of using the "Do-nou" method to repair roads was transferred to these farmer's groups in an effort to improve the lives of people living in rural areas. This method for road repairs uses "Do-nou" or sandbags (bags with the dimensions L 40cm × W 40cm × H 10cm filled with soil), which are laid as a road foundation able to bear the weight of 23 tons. Construction work is done exclusively by hand. Since the construction method is simple, farmers can perform the work themselves. Maintenance is not difficult and farmers can make repairs themselves. Additionally, by using inexpensive materials that can be procured locally (used grain bags, etc.), costs are kept low. By maintaining rural roads using the Japanese method of "Do-nou," the people of developing countries can easily further social development on their own. This point has attracted the attention of various UN organizations.

The use of CORE's “Do-nou” construction method allows local residents to easily make repairs by themselves. (In Rift Valley Province, Kenya) (Photo: CORE)

For development assistance, the role played by NGOs as representatives of civil society is increasingly important. To attain human security or achieve MDGs, not only is the assistance provided through the administrative agencies of developing countries needed, but support that appeals to local residents and communities is also required. In this regard, NGOs possess a considerable amount of experience and knowledge. Assistance provided by NGOs is characterized by the following three points. (i) Being familiar with the local situation, activities that pay attention to finer details can be conducted. (ii) Support for the needs that are difficult to reach through government aid can be provided. (iii) By joining local communities, strong interpersonal ties are formed though friendships and trust with residents. Furthermore, projects in which local residents are directly involved can be formulated, with the additional strength of being able to implement the projects at relatively lower costs. Compared to leading NGOs in Europe and the U.S., the organizational capabilities and structures of Japanese NGOs are lacking, and it cannot be said that they have abundant financial resources. However, the Japanese government intends to work towards supporting NGOs and their activities in order to achieve international cooperation that is even more effective.

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