was established as a system for providing more efficient and prompt emergency assistance through collaboration and cooperation among NGOs, the business world and the government. In fiscal year 2002, Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects and JICA's Grassroots Technical Cooperation were introduced. In this way, collaboration between the civil society, especially NGOs, and the government has steadily developed.

## Emergence of New Development Challenges

During the period from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, new issues and perspectives such as peace-building and human security have emerged in the international community. Together with the international trend emphasizing the importance of poverty reduction as mentioned previously, these issues and perspectives have had a large impact on the revision of the ODA Charter in 2003.

In the international community after the Cold War, conflicts rooted in the problems of ethnicity, religion, history, etc. have become evident all over the world, and regional/domestic conflicts have come to break out frequently. In order to prevent and resolve these conflicts, the international community including Japan started to recognize the necessity of a comprehensive approach, which includes not only political means, such as Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), dispatch of coalition forces, preventive diplomacy and mediation, but also post-conflict nation-building. Based on experiences in assistance for reconstruction in Cambodia, East Timor, Afghanistan, etc., Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced in a policy speech delivered in Sydney in May 2002 Japan's intention to make more active efforts in the sector of peace-building including ODA, that Japan would "strengthen cooperation for the consolidation of peace and nation-building in countries suffering from conflicts. This policy will be a new pillar of Japan's international cooperation."

Those who live in a country or region where the basic framework of the country/region is destroyed or the ruling power of the government weakened due to destabilization or conflicts are likely to be exposed to serious threats to their existences, livelihoods and dignity. Faced with this problem, it is necessary to provide support to complement the traditional framework of the "national security," a state protection of its people and border. Thus, from the perspective of individual people, the concept of "human security" aims to integrate and strengthen the efforts emphasizing a human-centered perspective in order to protect people from broad and serious threats to human existences, livelihoods and dignity and to bring out the abundant potential of the people. Japan introduced this concept as a pillar of Japanese diplomacy in the late 1990s and in the speech of then Prime Minister Mori emphasized its importance at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. Japan has been striving to disseminate the concept and put it into practice. In March 1999, Japan established the "Trust Fund for Human Security" within the United Nations and contributed the accumulating total of 25.9 billion yen by fiscal year 2003, having supported thereby many projects implemented by international organizations in order to promote human security. Moreover, Japan allocated 15 billion yen to Grassroots Human Security Grant Aid, in order to reflect the perspective of human security more strongly in conventional

Former Foreign Minister Kawaguchi inspecting a mine-cleaning operation ("Support Program for Mine Clearance Operation": Sri Lanka)

## $ ^{*} $ I: Japan Platform

This is a framework established cooperatively by the business world and the government for the Japanese NGOs' prompt and effective emergency humanitarian assistance activities. The participating NGOs are as follows: ADRA Japan; Shanti Volunteer Association; JEN; Save the Children Japan; Medical Relief Unit, Japan; Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development; Japanese Red Cross Society; Japan Center for Conflict Prevention; Japan Rescue Association; Association for Aid and Relief, Japan; BHN Association; Peace Winds Japan; World Vision Japan; Humanitarian Medical Assistance; Japan Mine Action Service; and Japan Alliance for Humanitarian Demining Support.