Trust for the Preservation and Promotion of the Intangible Cultural Heritage within UNESCO to implement projects that raise successors and preserve documents for intangible cultural assets such as folk dance, traditional entertainment, craft work, and oral literature. Japan’s contribution to the fund amounts to US$12.57 million, and 45 projects are underway as of the end of FY2007.

### 2. Support for Social Development

The reduction of poverty in developing countries requires economic initiatives aimed at sustainable growth. It is also necessary to carry out social and political efforts to address to provide basic social services such as education and health, gender disparities, and the lack of opportunities to participate in decision-making processes. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are universal development objectives, include targets such as disseminating primary education, improving health, and promoting gender equality among its eight goals. The international community is working toward the objective of achieving the MDGs by 2015. The following describes Japan’s support for social development.

## (1) Education

Japan’s record in FY2007 is as follows:

Loan aid (ODA loans): ¥14.6 billion (to one country)

Grant aid: ¥14.5 billion (to 28 countries)

Technical cooperation

1,447 trainees accepted

496 experts dispatched

317 JOCV and other volunteers dispatched

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Education plays an important role in the socio-economic development of each country. It also enables each and every individual to develop their own talents and abilities as well as to lead their lives with dignity. However, worldwide, more than 72 million children are currently unable to attend school for a variety of reasons, roughly 60% of which are girls. The total number of adults who do not possess the minimum literacy ability is 774 million people, of which two-thirds are women. $ ^{15} $

To improve this situation, since 1990 the international community has been working toward the realization of Education for All (EFA), $ ^{16} $ which provides everyone with access to basic education. The part of the EFA-Dakar Framework for Action adopted in 2001 is incorporated into the MDGs, such as universal primary education and gender equality. The international community is making efforts to achieve the goals.

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Emphasizing “nation building” and “human resource development,” Japan supports human resource development in a wide range of fields, such as basic education, higher education, and technical and vocational education and training, and accepting students to Japan’s institutions of higher education from developing countries. As for accepting foreign students, in January 2008 then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in his policy speech announced the Plan to Accept 300,000 Foreign Students, and the Japanese government takes specific measures for more student exchanges accordingly.

At the Davos Forum held in January 2008, then Prime Minister Fukuda took up the issue of development and Africa as one of major agendas of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit from the viewpoint of human security, as declaring his commitment to focus on healthcare, water, and education. Then Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura elaborated the above commitment in his policy speech, “Education for All: Human Resource Development for Self-Reliance and Growth,” delivered in April 2008. His message stressed further improvement in basic education in both quality and quantity, strengthened support for diverse educational opportunities beyond basic education, coordination between education and other fields, and efforts that involve all people concerned in and outside Japan. Specific initiatives during five years from 2008 announced in his speech include: (a) construction of about 1,000 schools and 5,500 classrooms in Africa; (b) skill development of about 300,000 science and mathematics teachers including 100,000 for Africa; and (c) studying condition improvements of more than 1 million students through improved management of 10,000 schools in Africa.

See Part II Chapter 2 (page 34) on Japan's assistance for Africa.