4 Enhancing Human Resources and Intellectual Foundations for Development Cooperation, and Spreading Awareness
(1) Enhancing Human Resources and Intellectual Foundations for Development Cooperation
Mr. HARADA Masatake, Education Officer at UNICEF Mozambique, with children participating in the pre-school education program supported by UNICEF (Photo: UNICEF Mozambique)
To implement effective and strategic development cooperation, it is essential to secure and foster human resources with advanced knowledge of development challenges, as well as public understanding and support.
The Government of Japan has set a target of 1,000 Japanese working for UN-related agencies by 2025. To this end, in collaboration with universities and Japan offices of international organizations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) actively recruits, trains and supports Japanese nationals who can play active roles on the global stage.Note 34 As mentioned in the recommendations made by the Advisory Board for ODA, considering the development of global human resources, including those engaged in development cooperation, as an urgent issue, the government organizes seminars in and outside of Japan to explain the recruitment system of international organizations to a wide range of audiences, including students at secondary and higher educational institutions and professionals already employed. Recently, seminars mainly take place online, allowing incumbent Japanese staff of international organizations to remotely participate and share their experiences. Also, among other things, the government produces videos and holds seminars featuring senior officials and human resource experts from international organizations.
Moreover, the Government of Japan offers the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme, supporting Japanese professionals who pursue careers in international organizations, including those engaged in the area of international development (see “Stories from the Field”, “Featured Project”, and “Stories from the Field” for examples of Japanese staff members at international organizations, including one sponsored under the JPO Programme). MOFA established the JPO Programme in 1974 and has since sent a cumulative total of over 2,000 JPOs. The program marked its 50th anniversary in 2024. In FY2023, 55 JPOs were dispatched. In addition, MOFA implements the “Program for Global Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding and Development.”Note 35
Through the Participatory Network for Expert Recruitment (PARTNER)Note 36 website, JICA centrally distributes information on international cooperation (such as recruitment and various training and seminar opportunities) undertaken by a wide range of actors such as ministries, agencies, JICA, NGOs, international organizations, companies, and universities. It also provides services such as human resources registration services and career counseling. Furthermore, JICA offers internships to university and graduate students who are interested in Japan’s international cooperation and are willing to play an active role as international cooperation personnel in various fields in the future. JICA also engages competent professionals with extensive work experience in developing countries through the Senior Advisor System while administering the Associate Experts Program and the Capacity Enhancement Training in support of human resources development.
Furthermore, the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development analyzes knowledge gained in the field of development cooperation, provides feedback on research results to JICA projects, and contributes to the realization of human security and the achievement of the SDGs by publishing reports and academic books on human security and organizing symposiums.
- Note 34: The website of the Recruitment Center for International Organizations (https://www.mofa-irc.go.jp/) (in Japanese only) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides information on vacancies in international organizations and other information related to careers in international organizations.
- Note 35: See Note 40.
- Note 36: International Cooperation Career Information Website “PARTNER” https://partner.jica.go.jp/ (in Japanese only)