## Support for Education in Post-conflict Nation Building

In nation building, education not only serves as a basis for reconstruction, it also facilitates mutual understanding and acts as a cornerstone for peace. In addition, it is also important from the point of view of promoting “human security” in that it furnishes individuals with the ability to protect themselves from threats by enhancing individuals’ capabilities. For example, Japan has been providing support such as literacy education and skills training for social reintegration of demobilized soldiers in Afghanistan since FY2005. As for literacy education in Afghanistan, Japan in FY2007 supported the development and production of literacy education materials as well as the training of trainers who would in turn educate literacy education teachers, as grant aid cooperation for conflict prevention and peace building through UNESCO. Furthermore, it also provides support for raising the income of the poor, such as through basic vocational training in post-conflict countries like Sudan, Eritrea, and Rwanda.

## Utilizing the Expertise in Education Research and In-Service Teaching

Japan promotes the International Cooperation Initiative for the sustainable development of developing countries. The initiative is designed to utilize Japanese universities' knowledge (research achievements and capacity to train experts) for international cooperation. Major activities under the initiative include creating and publicizing teaching materials and guidelines based on the expertise possessed by Japanese educational academies. For the advancement of international cooperation which utilizes Japan's educational experience, it is highly beneficial for in-service Japanese teachers to engage in cooperative activities in developing countries. From this perspective, in-service teachers are encouraged to go overseas as JOCV under the Special Participation System for In-Service Teachers $ ^{21} $ . In total, 511 in-service teachers have been dispatched from FY2002 to FY2007, and they have actively engaged in educational cooperation activities in developing countries. After returning to Japan, they make the use of their experience as JOCV in domestic educational activities.

As for Japan’s efforts in FY2008, in April 2008 Japan launched an initiative to facilitate international joint research with developing countries under the ODA scheme, so that developing countries can accumulate scientific expertise and human resources. The initiative is for international joint research among universities and research institutes on global issues such as environment, energy, disaster prevention and infectious diseases, and is implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. See Box 2 on page 78 on scientific cooperation for global issues.

## (2) Health and Welfare

Japan’s record in FY2007 is as follows:

Grant aid: ¥13.3 billion (to 36 countries)

Technical cooperation

4,619 trainees accepted $ ^{22} $

757 experts dispatched

316 JOCV etc. dispatched

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In many developing countries, a large number of people suffer from a lack of basic health services that are usually available in developed countries. As immunization and environmental sanitation have not been set in place, more than 25,000 children under five years old die from preventable causes such as infectious diseases, nutritional disorders, and diarrhea every day. Moreover, more than 500,000 women lose their lives every year during pregnancy or labor due to the lack of emergency obstetric care by skilled birth attendants like midwives. $ ^{23} $ The MDGs list three objectives for the health and welfare sector: to reduce child mortality, to improve maternal health, and to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

See also page 80 on infectious diseases.

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Japan makes various efforts in the field of international health. The G8 Kyushu Okinawa Summit in 2000 hosted by Japan took up the issue of infectious diseases that affected developing countries as one of main themes, which was unprecedented in the history of the summit meetings. Japan donated approximately ¥5.8 billion in total during the