## Global Festa JAPAN

Since 1990, the International Cooperation Festival has been held annually on International Cooperation Day (October 6) $ ^{16} $ as Japan’s largest international cooperation event. In order to encourage participation by the younger generation and others who are less familiar with international cooperation, the name of the event changed to Global Festa JAPAN in 2005. Cosponsored by MOfA, New JICA, and JANIC (Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation), the event is held on Saturday and Sunday at Hibiya Park in Tokyo. Over 200 organizations including NGOs, international agencies and embassies of various countries present exhibits at the festival. In order to deepen the familiarity with international cooperation of visitors and promote their understanding of the state and necessity of international cooperation, including ODA, and of cooperation between governments and NGOs, presentations are given in the tents of exhibiting organizations, and many enjoyable events are held, including dances, music, quiz contests, charity runs, and workshops. In 2007 the theme of “Family and Earth” was adopted, with a view to promoting understanding of international cooperation and developing counties by encouraging visitors to think about relations in the family, which is the center of our daily lives, through to the neighboring region, the environment, and the world. The 2007 festival was the first to attempt to gain the support of private sector enterprises. Exhibits and attractions were also presented at company booths, showing visitors that Japan’s international cooperation is supported by private enterprises as well as government, international agencies and NGOs. In all, approximately 80,000 visitors attended the event over its two day duration.

## (b) Development Education

Development education encourages interest and understanding among children towards international cooperation and global development issues, and it can foster motivation for international cooperation. Development education and issues faced by developing countries are taught as part of the learning objectives for the “Period for Integrated Study,” a course implemented nationwide at schools of all three levels of elementary, junior high, and senior high school.

In order to promote development education, MOFA has a variety of proactive efforts in place. For instance, it launched a website to promote development education in compulsory education at elementary and junior high

“ODA On-Demand-Delivery Lecture” which staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs going out to universities and high schools

schools, “Tanken Shiyo! Minna no Chikyu (Let’s Explore Our Planet)” on its own website, while video and other materials are often provided on the Plaza for International Cooperation website. Since 2003, the “Contest of Development Education / International Understanding” has also been held annually.

In the ODA Citizen Monitoring Program, a “high school student framework” has been in place since 2007 to complement the “teacher framework” that already existed, and the participation of pupils themselves is now being promoted. Moreover, with the “ODA On-Demand-Delivery Lecture,” officials from MOFA are dispatched to schools. Directly hearing people who are actively participating in development assistance talk about ODA policies and international cooperation is useful as a learning resource for pupils.

JICA too, disseminated development education since before the inauguration of New JICA. For example, in response to the requests of local governments that promote regional internationalization and from schools themselves, “lectures on international cooperation,” where JOCVs are sent to schools as teachers, are held along with essay contests and so on targeting nationwide junior and high school students. Support is also now provided for educational specialists, or teachers, in the form of the “Practical Development Education Seminar” and “Development Education Study Tour for Teachers.” In 2006, the “JICA Global Plaza” opened its doors as a base point for public participatory cooperation work, attracting approximately 89,000 visitors in 2007.

The former JBIC also held group learning occasions for students on school trips and dispatched personnel. As well, it carried out the “ODA Loan Partnership Seminars”