Meeting of Financial Cooperation, the Experts Meeting of Technical Cooperation, and the Experts Meeting of ODA Evaluation. It is necessary to promote further to strengthen the collaboration among related offices, ministries and agencies on various levels, aiming at more effective and efficient implementation of ODA. For example, in the health sector, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and implementing agencies hold consultations on a regular basis. Another issue to be considered is the establishment of a mechanism by which related offices, ministries and agencies gather as needed to strengthen collaboration among their ODA projects for each specific sector. Incidentally, this is an issue not only in the scope of ODA but also of the coherency of overall government policy. In the short-term, assuring policy coherency between ODA and other policies, such as in trade and agriculture is also an equally important issue.

In light of the roles fulfilled by various aid bodies in development, the revised ODA Charter states, "Collaboration with Japanese NGOs, universities, local governments, economic organizations, labor organizations, and other related stakeholders will be strengthened to facilitate their participation in ODA and to utilize their technologies and expertise." In addition, Japanese private companies have excellent technologies in various sectors, including environmental conservation. Using them in light of local assistance needs contributes to effective implementation of ODA, while bringing more direct participation of Japanese nationals in assistance activities, and thereby leads to increased public understanding of assistance. Strengthening collaboration with NGOs, universities and industries advances not only in the form of exchange of opinions between the government and those concerned but also of participation in actual assistance. It is thus needed to further promote ODA reforms, including enhanced collaboration with persons concerned.

Third, in order to increase transparency, there are the measures to strengthen information disclosure and promote public participation. To promote development assistance for developing countries by using ODA, which plays a considerable role in Japan's diplomacy, it is essential to achieve the understanding and support of the public at large. As mentioned in the revised ODA Charter, it is increasingly important to disclose information on the policy, implementation, and evaluation of ODA widely and promptly and to ensure sufficient transparency as well as to publicize the information actively. A pressing task is to promote active disclosure and publication of information in Japan by expanding activities which have already been conducted, such as the publication of the ODA E-mail Magazine, the holding of ODA Town Meetings, and the dispatch of public monitors of ODA.

Meanwhile, in addition to the publication as described above, it is also crucial for the active international contribution of Japan through ODA to be accurately recognized and supported abroad. In the ODA reforms, it is required to make publicity efforts to show Japan's ODA disbursement, etc. in an easily understandable way in recipient countries. Japan has already cooperated with the local press at signing and delivery ceremonies and attached stickers of the Japanese flag or of the ODA symbol to Japan's aid supplies, while also putting up signboards etc., in order to ensure the Japan's assistance is accurately evaluated by the public in recipient countries. Japan has also been conducting various activities, such as producing and broadcasting TV programs for recipient countries to publicize ODA, providing local press with opportunities to inspect Japan's assistance sites, preparing the brochures at the initiative of Japanese overseas embassies in cooperation with local JICA/JBIC staff etc., providing lectures by the ambassador, etc. and transmitting information through websites. Also for the future, Japan has to intensify its efforts in this aspect considerably.

A sticker of the ODA symbol

Implementation System

In promoting such efforts as mentioned above, strengthening of the ODA implementation system should not be forgotten. When Japan's ODA budget increased rapidly by large amounts in the 1990s, the number of staff did not increase at the same rate as the budget. Since it is not easy to increase the number of persons implementing ODA significantly under the current circumstances, it is necessary to strengthen the system