These include environmental issues—such as global warming and desertification—and infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio, which have become the focus of rapidly growing international concern in recent years. These are important problems requiring the concerted efforts of both developing and developed countries. Development assistance should be used effectively so that developing countries can enhance their ability to respond to these issues and so that the entire international community can work together towards their resolution.

It is widely recognized that building and preserving public goods are essential to a nation’s overall social stability and prosperity. The same is true in the international community, which is beset today by a growing array of increasingly serious problems. International “public goods” are those goods and systems of the international community that must be secured and built cooperatively so that the entire world can enjoy peace and prosperity and achieve sustainable development. Examples of international public goods include measures to counter global warming and to control infectious diseases, the reinforcement of the multilateral free-trade system, and the development of a stable international financial system. The ways in which their benefits can be secured are currently the focus of international debate.

One of the most important tasks of development assistance is to provide support for capacity building so that developing countries can participate fully in the efforts to obtain these benefits for the entire international community.

### SECTION 2. BUILDING AN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP

The end of the Cold War has brought changes in ODA trends. In terms of the worldwide total, ODA peaked in 1994 and then went on a downward trend until 1997. Some donors subsequently increased their efforts to reach International Development Goals (IDGs), and Japan also provided support in the wake of the Asian economic crisis. While factors such as these have led to an increase, present conditions seem to rule out a resumption of the sustained upward trend that existed prior to the 1990s in the foreseeable future.

However, the development needs of developing countries are still great, and the deployment of limited aid resources with optimal efficiency and effectiveness to achieve results in various fields remains a constant challenge. The international community as a whole is moving towards an approach to development assistance based on partnership and cooperation among diverse organizations. The aim of this approach is to build effective combinations of their resources, ranging from donor and recipient nations and international agencies to private-sector entities, including non-governmental organizations.

In addition, there is keen awareness of the importance of integrating trade and investment policies with those for development assistance because of the increasing role of private financial flows in achieving development.

## (I) Development Targets Shared Among the International Community

Numerous summits and international conferences were organized during the 1990s, especially by the United Nations. These provided the international community with forums to discuss initiatives in response to major development issues and to establish concrete goals. Key meetings included the World Summit for Children (New York, 1990), the World Conference on Education for All (Jomtien, Thailand, 1990), the United Nations Con-