| New Partnership for
African Development (NEPAD) |
The NEPAD was born on the premise that African development, including
the eradication of poverty, the development of sustainable infrastructure,
and the construction of global economy, will be achieved, not on aids
from the international community, but on Africa's self-awareness of
responsibilities. By assisting Africa's efforts for development, the
international community has renewed its commitment into the cooperation
needed for this goal.
The NEPAD sprung from the NAI (New African Initiative), erected in
July 2001 at a summit meeting of the OAU (Organization of African
Union) as an initiative by Africans for Africans. The NEPAD carries
out its activities through the Executive Committee, the Administrative
Committee, and the Director's Office.
In July 2002, at an OAU top-level meeting held in Durban, South Africa,
the OAU (Organization of African Unity), which founded in 1963, was
dissolved and renewed as the AU. Its Headquarters Office is located
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Modeled after the EU (European Union), it
consists of an Executive Committee as a supreme decision-making authority,
a board of cabinet, and other committees as liaisons to nations and
international organizations; the AU now also plans to found a Security
Council and an All-African Committee.
The AU now embraces 53 countries and regions, with 800 million people,
and is faced with various problems such as domestic and international
conflicts, and serious economic and social issues that call for immediate
solution.
| Ownership and partnership |
"Ownership" here refers to Africa's own initiatives for
the development and is based on the spirit of self-awareness and self-help,
while the "partnership" is an epitome of a resolve of the
international community to support Africa's development and continue
to search effective and long-lasting means of such assistance.
Development Assistance Committee
One of the three major committees of the OECD (Organization for Economic
Corporation Development).
In 1960, the USA advocated for the erection of the DAG (Development
Aid Group), and in the following year when the OECD was founded the
DAC was erected anew. As of September 2003 the DAC consists of 22
economically developed countries and the European Committee countries.
(Japan joined the DAG prior to its joining into the OECD in 1964.)
The DAC holds executive meetings as necessary to discuss various issues,
such as the exchange of aid-related information, policy adjustment,
an evaluation of international assistance programs and policies by
member countries. It periodically publishes Chairman's Reports.
The term refers to part of the economic cooperation aiming at technical
diffusion and improvement of its standard toward the people living
in various areas in developing countries. According to the classification
by the DAC, technical cooperation on government bases is regarded
as a bilateral aid.
Bilateral technical cooperation is conducted by the JICA (Japan International
Cooperation Agency). The technical assistance of the JICA includes
dispatching experts, invitation of trainees to Japan, "technical
cooperation project" combined with loans of equipments essential
for technical assistance,"development-related research"'
to help formulate public development projects which contribute to
developing countries' social and economic development, and volunteer
activities such as dispatching JOCV and senior overseas volunteers.
As for technical cooperation aside from activities programmed and
executed by the central government, Japan invites trainees and dispatch
experts through operations at over thirteen ministries.
Responding to the various needs for assistance from developing countries,
this system was introduced in 1989. It centers in granting necessary
funding to local governments, education- and medical organizations,
and NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) in developing countries
for relatively small-scale projects, through the Japanese diplomatic
establishments abroad who are well versed with local situations.
In principle, Japan provides no more than 10 million yen per project;
however, this assistance system has been highly praised by many for
its direct contribution to community-level activities in developing
countries.
| Japan International
Cooperation Agency |
The JICA was established in August 1974, in order for Japan to contribute
to the development of economy and society and to promote international
cooperation. The JICA is a special public institution, with governmental
subsidiaries, that unitarily conducts various international cooperation
activities such as government-based technical cooperation and the
implementation of yen loan cooperation, the dispatching of Japan Overseas
Cooperation Volunteers, and emigration projects. The JICA will turn
into an independent administrative institution in October 2003, with
four renewed agendas: efficiency; transparency and accountability;
public participation; and peace-building assistance.
The term refers to those African countries located south of the Sahara.
Apart from West Sahara, 48 of 53 countries in Africa including Sudan
belong to this region. Many of those countries have experience of
colonization by European countries, and the independence of Ghana
in 1957 triggered other countries' independence in the 1960s. However,
extreme hardship has followed independence, and 34 out of the 64 countries
that the World Bank now designate as Low Income Countries (LDC) concentrate
in this area. Not only economic problems, but also many other problems,
including border and ethnic conflicts, with remaining issues from
the colonial era, still remain to be solved.
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| Japan Overseas Cooperation
Volunteers |
Living with local people in developing countries, volunteers dispatched
by Japan cooperate in economic and social development for local regions.
Young people (ages 20 to 39), who have necessary knowledge and skills
in the fields of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, processing maintenance,
civil engineering, public health care, education and culture, and
sports, are selected based on applications. The JOCV program is implemented
by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Volunteers are allocated to governmental organizations and in principle
work together with local counterparts as members of the organization
for 2 years. The JOCV program began in 1965 with the first dispatched
group to Laos. As of the end of July 2003, 24718 volunteers have been
dispatched to 80 countries. Currently, 2472 dispatched volunteers
are overseas and 701(28%) out of them stay in 19 African countries.
Official Development Assistance
ODA is a premise of activities for economic cooperation led by the
governments of industrialized countries aiming at the economic and
social development, the improvement of welfare, and the stabilization
of human life.
The DAC (Development Assistance Committee) indicates the ODA standards
as follows:
1 The fund is supplied by a government or a governmental agency; 2
the objective of the funding is to contribute to the development of
economy and the improvement of welfare in developing countries; and
3 in order to eliminate the hardship of developing countries, the
grant element (indicator of assistance when a untied grant is counted
as 100%) should be over 25%.
It was adopted at the Second Tokyo International Conference on African
Development (TICAD II, October 1998, Tokyo). Based on "The Tokyo
Declaration (see below)," it indicated detailed and individual
objectives (with figures and deadlines) of the international community
and erected as a thesis "the eradication of poverty in Africa
and its integration into global economy." With it the "List
of Examples" indicating 370 projects based on "Tokyo Agenda
for Action" was published.
It was adopted at the First Tokyo International Conference on African
Development (TICAD I, October 1993, Tokyo). It indicated the determination
of African countries and the international community to solve various
problems hindering the development of African countries. It emphasized
that for such a goal, self-awareness and self-help among the African
countries are essential, through the double notion of Ownership-Partnership.
It also reconfirmed the important roles of Asia-African Cooperation
and the private sector in constructing African development.
The word donor generally refers to a person who donates or grants
money or other materials.
In the field of international development, governments and international
organizations which provide financial and technical assistance by
grant-aid or loan for countries whose immediate goals are poverty
reduction and economic development.
In order to alleviate the hardship of recipient countries and to avoid
one-way assistance, donor countries are expected to be sensitive to
recipients' intention and to fully cooperate with them. Also important
is to exchange vital information and forces among donor countries.
The term refers to the type of cooperation provided by almost-developed
countries for developed countries, through their own experience of
hardship, human resources and technology.
| NERICA (New Rice for
Africa) |
NERICA is a new promising rice species, developed through the hybridization
of African rices resistant to disease and dry weather, and Asian rices
with high productivity. The name stands for New Rice for Africa (NERICA).
The NERICA is characteristic for high productivity, high resistance
against disease and grass, and high protein, and requires a short
term before harvesting. It is expected that the development and further
improvement of NERICA will solve serious famine problems and will
contribute to food security in Africa.
Grant Aid is a form of monetary assistance involving the provision
of funds to the governments of developing countries without the obligation
of repayment. The Japanese government provides funds, instead of equipments
and facilities. Target fields eligible for grant aids are basically
limited to the BHN (Basic Human Needs), with low profit, such as medical
care and other health- and sanitation-related matters, water supply,
primary and secondary education, agriculture and agricultural development,
environment and human development, all of which are difficult to assist
through loan aids. |
