Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2013
2. Increasing Public Participation
(1) Importance of Promoting Public Understanding and Support
The “ODA Review Final Report” publicized in June 2010 emphasized the importance of obtaining public understanding and support for ODA.
MOFA and JICA provide opportunities to the public to experience ODA in the field so that a broad range of people can participate directly in the actual assistance of developing countries. Public participation is enhanced at a variety of levels in a variety of ways, which includes; encouraging discussions and dialogues regarding development assistance, promoting development education, publishing information regarding the current state of development cooperation, and communication of such activities to a wide audience including those in local cities and various groups of people and organizations. At the same time, it is recognized that development of human resources, developmental research and public-private partnership (PPP) are important to appropriately respond to the diversifying and increasing complexity of development issues. It is also important to promote an understanding of Japan’s philosophy regarding development assistance in the international community; meanwhile the importance of partnerships with education and research institutions such as universities is also becoming more and more important.
Further, it is also very important, in implementing ODA projects to make efforts for the people in developing countries to understand Japan’s assistance, and Japan enhances local public relations of ODA in collaboration between overseas diplomatic missions and local JICA offices.