ensuring the safety of those engaged in assistance in order to fulfill its responsibility in the international community. See 148 on the security of those engaged in assistance.

## • Wide Ranging Collaboration

Japan also provides assistance for infrastructure development, including the construction of highways and airports, human resource development for Afghanistan's administrative bodies, along with medical and educational assistance aimed at the country's medium- to long-term development. Furthermore, emphasis is being placed on community development for countries surrounding Afghanistan, based on the essentiality of development focused on collaborations with the neighboring Central Asian countries.

Japan has established the framework of Japanese Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects to be provided to NGOs and others engaged in aid activities in the areas of primary education, vocational training, health and medical care, and water and sanitation, while securing collaboration with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) $ ^{67} $ of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries. By March 2008, 19 projects in collaboration with seven PRTs have been implemented. In December 2007, a liaison officer to the Office of the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Kabul, a contact point on the NATO side, was designated to strengthen the aforementioned efforts that were carried out in collaboration with NATO. Moreover, in February 2008, Japan hosted the meeting of the Afghanistan Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board in Tokyo, and announced assistance for Afghanistan worth US110 million in total, which would be used for the stabilization of border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan, literacy education, border control, and other relevant purposes.

## (3) Sudan

##

Sudan has national borders with nine countries and the largest territorial land area in Africa. It also has control over water supply from the Nile River and influence over free navigation in the Red Sea. The stability of Sudan is thus important for the whole of Africa.

See Part II (page 35) on consolidation of peace in the whole African region.

In January 2005, the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was concluded to end the north-south civil war in Sudan since 1983, and a tentative constitution was promulgated. With these, a full-fledged process toward peace has begun. Nevertheless, there remain scars of the civil war, such as internally displaced persons amounting to as many as around 5 million, devastated economic and social infrastructure, arms proliferation, landmines and many ex-soldiers. In addition, anti-government groups have been active in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, obstructing government operations to take control of the region as well as the development and stability of the region.

##

At the Oslo Donors' Conference on Sudan held in 2005 in Norway to discuss assistance in the first half of the CPA implementation period (2005 – 2007), Japan pledged assistance in the amount of approximately US$100 million for the near term. Japan offered assistance of US$200 million by the end of FY2007.

Japan proactively works together with multilateral organizations and Japan’s NGOs to provide assistance for returning and reintegrating refugees. The efforts include the removal of, and education on, landmines and unexploded ordinances, the development of facilities related to water supply, the provision of medical assistance for counteracting pediatric infectious diseases, and the supply of food aid. As for assistance for Sudan in FY2007, besides bilateral food aid extended twice, Japan repaired roads in southern Sudan to facilitate the returning of internally displaced persons and distribution of commodities. In addition, Japan carried out measures against pediatric infectious diseases to provide polio vaccines and mosquito nets through UNICEF across the country. Furthermore, in the Darfur region, Japan assisted the protection and returning of refugees and internally displaced persons by constructing temporary housing facilities (shelters), wells, and elementary schools, for example. Moreover, Japan has extended aid through UNHCR for improving the educational environment, constructing elementary schools and pedagogical schools to facilitate the returning of internally displaced persons and others to southern Sudan, procuring equipment for schools, and other purposes. $ ^{68} $