Source: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
• Technical Training of Overseas Participants
• Youth Invitation Program
• Dispatch of Technical Cooperation Experts
• Project-type Technical Cooperation
• Development Studies
• Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers
• Community Empowerment Program

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) has three main categories

• Bilateral Grants (Grant Aid and technical Cooperation),
• Bilateral Loans (Loan Assistance, generally known as "Yen Loan"), and
• Contributions and subscriptions to multilateral donor organization.

The major portion of bilateral grants is undertaken by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), while the Overseas Economic. Cooperation Fund (OECF) is in charge of bilateral loans.

JICA is responsible for the technical cooperation aspect of Japan's ODA programs.

Technical cooperation is aimed at the transfer of technology and knowledge that can serve the socioeconomic development of the developing countries. JICA carries out a variety of programs to support the nation building of developing countries through such technical cooperation.

JICA has about 1,200 staff members working both in Japan and at its more than fifty overseas offices.

Outline of JICA Operations

Notes:

1. Figures for technical training participants include local training participants (in-country training participants), third-country training participants, Youth Invitation Program trainees, and overseas Japanese trainees.
2. Figures for JOCVs in 1998 include overseas Japanese youth volunteers and UN volunteers. They are not included in the figures for 1999.
3. Figures for project-type technical cooperation are indicated on an R/D base.
4. Figures for development studies are for projects involving preliminary studies, main studies, report explanations, etc. (i.e. excluding
   projects at the preliminary study stage and studies completed the previous year or earlier).
5. Figures for grant aid are for projects (expedited by JICA) ratified by the Cabinet in fiscal 1999 and signed (E/N) by the end of May 2000.

Technical Training of Overseas Participants

The technical training of overseas participants program is targeted at key administrators, technicians and researchers in developing countries and regions. It involves the transfer of knowledge and technology required by specific countries through the medium of training conducted by JICA in Japan and in developing countries with their collaboration. This is the most fundamental "human development"program implemented by JICA.

The program has grown steadily in scale, diversity and sophistication since its launch in 1954. In fiscal 1999, 7,722 people from 145 countries and regions took part in this program in Japan, while a further 8,454 people participated in developing countries.

Those who have received such technical training are now contributing variously to nation- building. Many have gone on to become national leaders, top-ranking researchers and administrators, while others are now passing on their acquired skills to farming communities far removed from national capitals. The alumni associations of former training participants formed in 75 countries are cementing the bonds of friendship between their countries and Japan.

Features of the program

Flexibility and mobility are built into the technical training of overseas participants program so that essential aid can be provided as necessary. The program allows for an immediate, hands-on approach to urgent issues such as financial crisis and transition to democracy.

A flexible response guarantees maximum effectiveness as linkage is made with other programs and participants'needs are catered for. A good example is provided by courses linked to yen loans on the administration of two-step loans*and environmental concerns. Such courses are likely to enhance the effectiveness of a project.

In contrast to other types of cooperation, a considerable portion of the technical training program is provided in Japan. The program depends on the cooperation and participation of the institutions and instructors who teach the participants, regional groups active in international relations, and local communities. Its effects are not limited to technical cooperation: one of the program's secondary benefits is to foster friendly attitudes toward and knowledge of Japan throughout the world. Conversely, the opportunity the program provides for participants to engage in international exchange and friendship activities in Japan contributes significantly to fostering international awareness on the part of Japanese people.

From the standpoint of technical cooperation, there are several advantages in implementing this program in Japan. These include the following: 1) participants are motivated by seeing how new technology and ideas not yet available in their own countries are used; (2) Japan's experience is transmitted to the world at large;and (3) participants have the chance to exchange ideas and experience with colleagues from other countries facing similar issues as themselves. In addition, the opportunity the program provides for participants and their instructors to think about the global environment or the transition to a market economy deepens the knowledge of all those involved in the training program.

In fiscal 1999 JICA began a new system of long-term training that allows participants to undergo training for two years. The point of the system is to allow young administrators, researchers and businesspeople to study at Japanese universities for further degrees (MA, PhD, etc.). We hope that the human networks created between participants and Japanese researchers in the university environment will strengthen relations between Japan and the countries of the developing world. (See Part I, Chapter 2, "Response to New Needs, " p.23.)

In addition to training activities in Japan, there is also an "overseas training" program that involves organizations in developing countries fostered through Japanese technical cooperation providing training for people from their own or neighboring countries. Depending on the type of skill to be taught, overseas training is the most effective training method because it is conducted in a developing country with similar technical levels and social conditions. Training provided to participants in their own countries is referred to as "local in-country training (second-country training), " while training aimed at participants in neighboring countries is known as "third-country training*. " Use of these training methods in accordance with specific situations is likely to enhance the effects of Japanese technical cooperation.

Program Trends and Topics

Training projects in the past have involved strengthening links with local governments and NGOs. Since fiscal 1998, we have instituted locally devised training courses and have dispatched experts in cases where local government authorities possess their own distinctive skills and feel that they would like to contribute to international cooperation. In fiscal 1999, 54 participants (22 in fiscal 1998) received training in Japan through 30 courses. These courses included those involving the transfer of uniquely Japanese skills to developing countries, as, for instance, in the case of the Peruvian coal engineers who studied briquette production technology at Ube City in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Strengthening the country-specific approach

JICA carried out organizational restructuring in fiscal 1999 and instituted several regional departments (Asian Region I; Asian Region II; Latin American and the Caribbean Regions; African, Middle Eastern and European Regions). This was done to assist in providing aid in line with conditions in individual developing countries. Country- and region-specific training courses have increased in number to 153 to enable a finely tailored response to country-specific issues faced by developing countries. These training courses include the following:

Technical cooperation to assist democratization

"Democratization seminars" in Tajikistan

Tajikistan is the poorest of the nations that gained their independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union. As much as 80% of the population lives in a state of poverty caused by the civil war that followed independence. The civil war was brought to a provisional end after final agreement was reached between the two sides. Peace negotiations between government and anti-government factions centering on Islamic groups concluded in June 1997. But the nation remains unstable, as evidenced by incidents such as the murder in July 1998 of the members of a United Nations inspection team that included Japanese government official Yutaka Akino.

State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Keizo Takemi visited Tajikistan in 1998 and announced that the Japanese government was willing to accept 500 training participants over a period of five years at the rate of 100 a year from 1999. He also announced the start in fiscal 1999 of "democratization seminars, " the second of which was held between March 5 and 18, 2000 with the participation of nine people from Tajikistan directly involved in the peace-making process. The purpose of this training program is to assist with social and economic reconstruction in Tajikistan by introducing the experience of modernization and democratization undergone by Japan and other countries as well as other peace processes. At the same time, representatives of both the government and opposition are given the opportunity to discuss together how their country should move toward recovery once peace is achieved. The government of Tajikistan has warmly welcomed these efforts by Japan.

Support for dealing with environmental issues

Waste disposal in CARICOM

The 14 countries and regions that make up the Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, have witnessed an increase in recent years in the volume of urban and industrial waste they have to cope with. This has resulted in sea pollution, which is a serious problem for the Caribbean countries as tourism and fishing are important industries. At the annual Japan-CARICOM conference, Japan was asked to cooperate with waste disposal measures.

With the cooperation of the Iwate prefectural government, in January 2000 lectures on waste disposal administration were given to administrators in the field of waste disposal in this region. Training incorporating inspections of waste disposal technology in action was also provided. The aim was to provide "special region-specific training" that would help solve problems affecting the whole region and thereby contribute to improvements in public health, hygiene and environmental conservation throughout the Caribbean.

A training program to support education in developing countries

Training for mathematics and science teachers in South Africa

Since Nelson Mandela assumed the presidency in 1994, South Africa has been making efforts to improve the education of black people, who were deliberately deprived of the opportunity for education under apartheid.

Japan supports medium- and long-term educational reform, since access to education is essential for enabling black people to take part fully in economic activities in their country. Focusing especially on the former homelands, home to large numbers of poor black people, we are providing all-round educational cooperation combining various forms of assistance. Our key venture in this area has been a special country-specific training program intended to train mathematics and science teachers. This program has been under way since fiscal 1998 with assistance from the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education of Hiroshima University and Naruto University of Education. Under this program, members of the teaching staffs of South African teacher training colleges visit Japan to study our teacher training system. They also work on formulating a teacher retraining program as they attempt to create a training system targeting currently active secondary school teachers of mathematics and science subjects in South Africa. In connection with these activities, a team of Japanese experts has been sent to South Africa as part of the "Plan for the Retraining of Secondary School Mathematics and Science Teachers in Mpumalanga Province. " With the assistance of these experts, the South African teacher trainers are themselves providing training for mathematics and science teachers in this region in order to raise the their abilities. Since fiscal 1999, we have also been implementing a special country-specific training program on regional educational administration aimed at enhancing the managerial and supervisory abilities of administrators in line with the needs of South Africa, where decentralization is well under way.

Outline of overseas training

Since 1975, JICA has been engaged in South-South cooperation* to encourage developing countries to take up the mantle as donors* in their own right. The key type of cooperation in this connection is third-country group training, which is carried out in developing countries having a relatively advanced level of development. Use is made of people from these countries trained through Japanese technical cooperation who now themselves train technicians invited from neighboring developing countries. Among the main features of this system are: 1) it facilitates the transfer of technology fully in line with participating countries' needs; 2) training can be provided in areas with similar cultures, languages, climates and customs; 3) training costs are low; and 4) it encourages the implementingcountries to make efforts to help themselves.

Local in-country training (previously known as "bilateral training") encourages the diffusion of the results of Japanese technical cooperation within developing countries and supports self-help efforts on the part of developing countries aiming to ensure that the technology transferred to them sets down firm roots. This training is aimed at projects that bring direct benefits to the local community in fields such as the environment, population, health and medical care, and WID*.

In fiscal 1999, 128 examples of third-country training were conducted in 30 countries with 2,293 participants, while local in-country training involved 6,110 participants who attended 58 courses in 15 countries. The following region-specific issues were given priority in fiscal 1999:

1. ASEAN region:
   • Response to the Asian economic crisis
   • Cooperation with development of the Mekong River basin
   • Debt management seminar (for Africa)
2. East Asia:
   • Seminar organized jointly by Japan and South Korea
3. Southwest Asia:
   • Support for economic development (infrastructure*)
4. Oceania:
   • Promotion of region-wide cooperation
5. Latin America:
   • Disaster prevention planning and environmental conservation
   • Health and medical care
6. Africa
   • Follow-up on TICAD II
   • Support for democratization
7. Middle East and Europe
   • Support for transition to the market economy

Partnership program (Bilateral)

Under the partnership program, JICA provides support for developing countries attempting to implement and expand South-South cooperation. It takes place at the final stage of support for countries wishing to become donors in their own right. Japan is involved in partnership programs with various countries. The details are shown in Table 3-3.

Table 3-3. Years of agreement for partnership programs and program content

Youth Invitation Program

Overview

During their stay in Japan, the young people live together with young Japanese people who work in the same fields, or in ordinary Japanese homes. They also have the chance to take part in a wide variety of social events. The Youth Invitation Program is intended to foster abilities in developing countries, to deepen mutual understanding and trust, and to build friendships.

Since the program was started in 1984, it has gradually spread to include Asia, Oceania, Africa, Latin America and Saudi Arabia. At present around 1,650 young people from 100 countries are taking part in the program. More than 20,000 people have visited Japan through this program (as of May 2000).

This is a program of the public-participation type implemented with the support of international exchange organizations throughout Japan, youth education groups, government ministries and departments, and local government as well as large numbers of Japanese volunteers.

Method of Invitation

Features of the Program

The Youth Invitation Program aims not only to enable participants to increase knowledge of their fields of specialization but also to foster a better understanding of Japan and the Japanese people, including such aspects as culture and history. One of the main features of the program is a schedule in which training and exchange go hand in hand. Among the ingredients of the program are a course of practical Japanese-language study in which Japanese volunteers introduce participants to the areas where they are staying and residential seminars incorporating discussions and parties at which the participants live together with young Japanese people. The participants also have the chance to exchange opinions with employees at the various places that they visit. These features of the program are thought of highly by the young people involved. Another valuable aspect of the program is the chance it gives participants to stay in private homes and experience life in ordinary Japanese households.

The Youth Invitation Program was implemented in every Japanese prefecture in fiscal 1999. Study in various parts of the country gives participants the opportunity to see Japan as a whole through their studies and, at the same time, to come into contact with the distinctive culture and history of the area where they are staying. Through these activities, not only the participants in the program but also the Japanese public are able to experience international cooperation and exchange. This experience contributes to encouraging development education and heightening international awareness in the regions.

Today, when links throughout the country have an important place in international cooperation, the Youth Invitation Program is playing a pioneering role.

Human Resources Development for the 21st Century

The invitation program is revised every few years following discussions with the governments of the countries concerned so as to ensure it is always in line with each country's development needs. For instance, in fiscal 1999 a welfare group for the disabled was invited from ASEAN countries, where improvements in the social safety net* are needed (see below).

In line with the proposals made by Minister of Education Nobutaka Machimura during his visit to China in May 1999, 120 teachers were invited from China in November 1999 to encourage exchange between Japanese and Chinese teachers.

The experience gained during their stay influences the young people who come to Japan on this program in various ways. The Youth Invitation Program is contributing significantly to human resources development by training teachers who apply the teaching methods they have seen being used in Japanese schools in their own countries and administrators who are able to come up with ideas for administrative reform based on their experience of the Japanese administrative system.

Expanding renewed exchange

Young Japanese people, host families and members of related organizations who established personal relationships with the visitors during their stay in Japan are sent by JICA to the participants' countries as members of aftercare teams to renew their friendships.

JICA is actively supporting these activities so that the results of the Youth Invitation Program form direct links with the future and encourage the formation of yet closer relationships between Japan and the countries involved.

There has also been a conspicuous increase in cases of organizations and municipalities taking advantage of the opportunities presented by this program to further their own exchange activities with the participants' countries. In 1998, a cooperative organization that invites young people to Japan set up a council to promote a "friendship plan for the 21st century. " As well as providing support for JICA, the organization began to serve as a focal point for renewing exchanges with participants in the Youth Invitation Program after their return to their home countries.

The Youth Invitation Program is thus establishing links between Japan and the rest of the world as well as contributing significantly to the formation of personal networks for the new age. The program also has the potential to open up new forms of international cooperation and exchange in which ordinary citizens play the central role.

Dispatch of Technical Cooperation Experts

Under this program experts are sent to developing countries where they transfer their skills and make proposals in line with the conditions applying in individual countries. They work mainly with administrators and engineers who play a central role in economic and social development in these countries. The program contributes to human resources development and at the same time to organizational and institutional development. Together with the technical training of overseas participants, this program constitutes the core of cooperation in the field of human resources development in developing countries.

Features of the program

The main feature of cooperation involving the dispatch of technical cooperation experts is that it actually takes place in developing countries. This means the program can be finely tailored to the needs of the country in question.

The second feature is that experts in a very wide range of fields are on hand to do everything from providing normal technical guidance to offering advice likely to benefit the recipient country's institutions and policies. These experts are sent to virtually every country in the developing world. In particular, "aid with a clearly visible profile" can be provided efficiently by Japanese experts working as advisors at the heart of government in the recipient country.

Another important feature of cooperation involving the dispatch of experts is that it enables a highly mobile and prompt response to new aid needs and countries newly in need of aid that have emerged as a consequence of changes in international circumstances, especially in connection with matters such as transfer to a market economy, recovery from disaster, and post-conflict recovery.

JICA's organizational restructuring in January 2000 resulted in the establishment of four main regions. A structure was created to enable mobile and flexible forms of cooperation through integrated planning supervision from the planning through to the implementation stages. By its nature, this cooperation is rooted in an issue-specific approach that takes full account of development issues in each country. This means that expert dispatch involves more than merely studying individual requests from recipient countries. More than ever before, we are now able to gain an accurate grasp of the partner country's development needs, and we can formulate expert dispatch plans from an overall standpoint taking account of linkage with other forms of cooperation.

Project details

JICA engages in various forms of expert dispatch aimed at responding sensitively to the needs of developing countries and ensuring effective project implementation. Projects can be classified into the four main types:

1. Recruitment of experts in accordance with individual requests from developing countries.
2. Research cooperation* and pivotal support for important policies* combining group dispatch of experts, acceptance of training participants, and equipment supply.
3. Dispatch of personnel from developing countries as experts to other developing countries with the aims of transferring technology that meets the needs of individual developing regions and of promoting South-South cooperation* (third-country expert dispatch).
4. Offer-type projects involving suggestions made by Japan to other countries about essential forms of cooperation (JICA Partnership Program, "Private Sector Proposal-type Intellectual Assistance Seminars"*, public participation experts etc. ).

In fiscal 1999, technical cooperation experts were sent for the first time by Japan to an ODA graduate* country at the expense of the recipient country. On this first occasion experts on export management were sent to Hong Kong.

Project Trends

Increase in opportunities for public participation in international cooperation

Accompanying the diversification of cooperation needs in recent years, it is becoming increasingly important to obtain cooperation from a wide range of sources including the general public and local government in connection with the dispatch of experts.

In light of this situation, since fiscal 1999 JICA has been working on a "JICA Partnership Program" in which social development and intellectual support projects requiring a small-scale, finely tailored response are entrusted to Japanese NGOs and other organizations. The aim is to execute ODA projects with the cooperation and participation of the general public. Many organizations are showing interest in the program, indicating the considerable potential for its expansion in this form. A small-scale "JICA Partnership Program" is being newly planned for fiscal 2000 to enable cooperation in collaboration with relatively small NGOs.

A "Private Sector Proposal-type Intellectual Assistance Seminar" program was newly established in fiscal 1998 to make use of expertise in the private sector. Ideas for seminars aimed at countries changing to a market economy are gathered from private think-tanks and other sources and then proposed to these countries. Such seminars have been held successfully in Viet Nam and Myanmar.

The "public participation expert" program is a form of international cooperation involving proposals presented from Japan's regions. If a municipal authority wishes to take part in international cooperation, experts from the municipality in question are sent by JICA to the country where they are needed. In fiscal 1999, an expert on paper-making from the Japanese paper (washi) cooperative in Shimane Prefecture was sent to Bhutan. Projects such as this are also playing a role in stimulating the involvement of municipalities themselves in international cooperation.

The open recruitment of experts began in fiscal 1997 and is gradually becoming well established. Every year, outstanding specialists recruited from the general public are sent to work in developing countries. The range of projects available to public recruitment is increasing yearly. JICA is encouraging the public to participate in international cooperation projects in a variety of forms, and we hope to direct the knowledge and experience of more and more people to social and economic development in the developing world.

Support for institution-building and policy planning

One recent trend has been the increase in demand for cooperation involving financial and monetary policy and support for legal upgrading. In response to these needs in developing countries, JICA has been sending policy advisers to key government agencies responsible for policy formulation in order to provide support for institution-building and policy planning.

Examples include the pivotal support for important policies provided in Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe, where institutional and policy planning is an urgent priority as these countries move toward a market economy. Cooperation in the fields of industrial policy and human resources development is being provided to Poland, Uzbekistan, and Bulgaria. In Viet Nam and Cambodia, cooperation involves modernization of these countries' legal systems. The cooperation provided to Viet Nam since fiscal 1996 has been very well received by the Vietnamese government, and Phase 2 of cooperation with legal modernization has been under way since fiscal 1999.

In Laos, we are engaged on a program of cooperation involving support for economic policies connected with transition to the market economy, while in Myanmar support is under way with structural economic reform.

Response to new needs

1. Support for the financial and monetary sectors in ASEAN

In the field of support for economic regeneration in Asia, we continued during fiscal 1999 to provide cooperation with financial matters in ASEAN. A study team was sent to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in June to look into specific needs. In order to respond promptly to the needs that came to light through the team's survey, we openly recruited around 160 candidates specializing in public finance, banking, capital markets, and corporate management. We also dispatched experts in banking policy and structuring of capital markets to Indonesia; experts in financial screening and credit management to small-scale public finance institutions in Thailand; and experts in trade finance to Malaysia. These measures resulted in the strengthening of support for public finances in ASEAN.

We also sent a high-level advisor to Indonesia to assist with the promotion of small and medium enterprises in line with a request received by Prime Minister Obuchi from President Wahid.

2. Support with post-disaster reconstruction

Immediately after the earthquake that struck Turkey in August 1998, employees of the Hyogo prefectural government and the Kobe city government, who had gained experience in reconstruction and recovering following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, were sent as experts to the disaster area.

Experts in essential fields were also promptly sent to other disaster areas in developing countries such as the sites of earthquake damage in Taiwan and serious flooding in Venezuela. As support for recovery follows on from the provision of emergency aid, cooperation is thus being provided in a timely and flexible manner.

3. Support for South-South cooperation

Support for South-South cooperation (whereby developing countries possessing a relatively well developed fund of technology and trained personnel assist other developing countries on the path to development) is provided in the form of dispatch of third-country experts. These are individuals with outstanding technical abilities from third countries. In recent years not only the countries accepting the third-country experts, but also those sending the experts have been showing great interest in South-South cooperation through this scheme.

The program involves sending experts from countries with similar natural environments, languages, technical levels and cultures to recipient countries to enable the smooth transfer of technology in line with those countries' needs. The opportunity to provide instruction also raises the incentive for self-improvement on the part of the recruited experts themselves to the benefit of all. The program is highly rated by all countries concerned. There has been a steady increase in both the number of requests received and the number of countries expressing interest in either sending or receiving experts. In fiscal 1999, we sent 115 new experts to Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.

4. Expanding recruitment of experts

The expert recruitment system was expanded with the establishment of a new Human Resources Assignment Department as part of the organizational restructuring implemented at JICA in January 2000.

Recruitment of both individually dispatched experts and experts sent on the basis of project-type technical cooperation is now controlled by the Human Resources Assignment Department, which functions as a personnel bank for recruitment of experts by JICA. As well as strengthening the expert registration system and expanding open recruitment of experts, we intend to further strengthen these recruitment functions to ensure that the most appropriate experts can be enlisted.

Project-type Technical Cooperation

Project-type technical cooperation involves providing support for the training of personnel required to achieve social and economic progress in developing countries and for the development and diffusion of technology and skills. It is also intended to upgrade the systems and institutions needed for development and to strengthen the abilities of implementing organizations. A period of cooperation lasting between three and five years is set to achieve these aims. Elements such as dispatch of experts, acceptance of training participants, and provision of equipment and materials are organically linked so as to realize a form of technical cooperation in which every aspect (from the formulation of plans to their execution and evaluation) falls within a fully integrated whole.

Project-type technical cooperation is classified into five main areas, namely social development, health and medical care, agricultural development, forest and nature conservation, and development of mining and manufacturing industry. Five project divisions are involved with each area.

Making a success of projects

Independent, sustainable development is the most important requisite of project-type technical cooperation as the success of a project depends on whether results can be built on once Japanese cooperation has come to an end. It is particularly important when deciding to cooperate on a project to check before cooperation has started whether the country in question is able to develop the project on its own. Then, while cooperation is under way, ways must be found of improving the country's capacity to work on its own initiative.

Most projects involve the dispatch of a team consisting of a chief advisor and several experts. The team of experts work on the project together with their counterparts*, meaning the administrators, researchers and engineers from the recipient country who are also taking part in the project. To ensure the effectiveness of technical cooperation, both sides need to understand one another's cultures and societies, while the Japanese experts must develop skills appropriate to local conditions rather than merely transplant Japanese skills and experience without adaptation.

Cooperation emphasizing ownership

Projects are implemented jointly by personnel from the recipient country and Japan, although ownership of the project lies strictly with the recipient country; Japan's status is that of a cooperating partner. Efforts are needed to heighten the awareness of ownership* among those engaged in the project from the recipient country. Project-type technical cooperation thus incorporates participatory methods in connection with planning, administration and evaluation.

If the recipient country is unable to get hold of sufficient funds to implement a project of this type, Japan may foot the bill for works and research costs (local costs*), for instance in connection with testing and research facilities. But the main agent in the project must be the recipient country, whose self-help efforts Japanese cooperation is intended to stimulate. For this reason, the recipient country must bear the costs involved. Once cooperation is over, it will be up to the recipient country to continue the project alone. A local costs defrayal plan is drawn up by the Japanese side that forecasts the capacity of the organization responsible for implementing the project in the recipient country to defray the costs after cooperation has concluded. If the recipient country is unable to provide the buildings and other facilities needed for the project, Japan provides grant aid to enable the country to procure buildings and other essential facilities and equipment that are then used as the bases for technical cooperation.

Project Evaluation

Project evaluation at completion usually occurs six months before the end of the term of cooperation. Evaluation is concerned with the extent to which the original targets have been achieved, the project's effectiveness, the appropriateness of the plan, and prospects for autonomous development. The term of cooperation may be extended by a further year or two if the results of the evaluation suggest this is necessary. Aftercare cooperation may sometimes be provided three years or more after the conclusion of a project in order to reinvigorate the project and to assist the recipient country in managing it on its own.

Results and Content of Projects

Social development cooperation

Social development cooperation covers a wide range of technical activity in the following fields: construction, operation and maintenance of social infrastructure* (e. g. urban planning, road transport, ports, marine transportation, water supply and drainage; occupational training; school and university education; research; disaster prevention (earthquakes and floods); labor safety and health (education in prevention of accidents at work); and global issues* (e.g. the environment, poverty alleviation measures, and welfare of the disabled).

Looking at trends in different project areas, education especially at the elementary and intermediate levels is being emphasized. Projects in this area are steadily increasing. As developing countries rapidly industrialize and move toward the market economy, they are experiencing a shortage of personnel in essential industrial areas. Engineers well versed in advanced technological fields such as electrical engineering and telecommunications are in particularly short supply. JICA is thus cooperating with the establishment and expansion of training and research institutes. Human resources development, including educational projects and occupational training, account for half of all our activities in the field of social development cooperation.

In the environmental field, environmental center projects were under way in five countries in fiscal 1999. Training is aimed at establishing environmental analysis methods and applying the analyses to recipient countries. These activities are sure to be of use to recipient countries in dealing with environmental issues. Information exchange and meetings between engineers are being encouraged so that projects can be administered more effectively.

Projects are increasing in another priority area, that of poverty alleviation. Cooperation aimed at raising the capacity of governmental organizations involved in regional development to formulate and administer plans is taking place concurrently with rural development activities based on community participation (participatory development* methods). Efforts are being made to establish effective methods of rural development from both the planning and implementation sides.

Fifty-four projects in the field of social development were implemented in 28 countries in fiscal 1999.

Cooperation in the field of health and medical care

Good health is a universal aspiration. It is also indispensable for the formation of a sound society at regional, national and global levels.

But many people in developing countries find their health, and indeed their lives, under threat from endemic diseases, poor conditions of hygiene, and malnutrition.

HIV/AIDS and other new infectious diseases, recurring infections such as tuberculosis and malaria, and parasitic diseases have increased in recent years.

The high frequency of infant birth and death as shown by high infant mortality rates puts pressure on individuals and family life while inhibiting social and economic development.

In response to these issues, JICA cooperates in the field of health and medical care with education in clinical medicine in hospitals, studies on infectious diseases, training of medical staff, quality control of pharmaceutical products, public health, and population and family planning. Fifty-one projects were implemented in fiscal 1999.

One trend to emerge in recent years is the need for integrated regional activities to ensure effective cooperation. This entails an approach to health and medical care based on public health education and prevention of disease, along with regional health and primary health care* including maternal and child health and family planning. Projects of this type are on the increase.

Other projects involve lifelong health measures and social participation for women based on the ideals of WID* that stress the roles of women in development and the concept of reproductive health*.

Outside project-type technical cooperation, measures to combat infection include supply of vaccines and equipment needed for inoculations in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). Measures to fight HIV/AIDS include provision of inspection instruments and machines needed for safe blood supply. Standards of reproductive health are being improved through the provision of essential items such as contraceptive devices, simple medical equipment, basic pharmaceutical products, and audiovisual equipment.

Altogether 59 equipment supply projects were implemented in fiscal 1999.

Agricultural development cooperation

Agricultural cooperation aims to contribute to increased food production, rectification of regional disparities by raising the incomes and living standards of farmers, effective use of resources, and environmental conservation. These aims are achieved through development of agricultural and livestock methods appropriate to developing regions, training of agricultural extension workers, research at universities and laboratories, conservation, and appropriate use of agricultural resources.

The content of cooperation has diversified to include: 1) projects incorporating poverty alleviation, community participation, and WID (integrated rural development, farming and village development, improvements in living standards in rural villages); 2) projects involving agricultural statistics, residual agricultural chemicals, and management and supervision of agricultural distribution; 3) applications to problems of resources and the environment (sustainable agricultural development, conservation of genetic resources); and 4) assistance for countries moving toward democracy and the market economy (Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Eastern Europe).

Fifty-eight projects were implemented in 31 countries in fiscal 1999.

Cooperation involving forestry and the natural environment

Although living standards during the 20th century have improved drastically, this century was also one of major change in our natural environment, particularly in the case of the world's forests and oceans. Depletion of forest and ocean resources has reached a critical stage and will inevitably have serious consequences for the future.

Cooperation on forestry and the natural environment has previously included development and dissemination of sustainable forestry and fishing methods in developing regions as well as university and laboratory research. Through conservation and appropriate use of the natural environment, we have been trying particularly hard recently to develop the social fabric of rural and fishing villages, to make the most effective use of resources, and to contribute to environmental conservation.

The content of cooperation is growing increasingly varied. It currently includes projects combining poverty alleviation, community participation, and gender* elements (social forestry, village development); applications involving natural resources and environmental issues (maintenance of biodiversity*, research on tropical forests, prevention of forest fires, management of fishery resources, studies on effects on coastal environments); and human resources development in countries within specific regions with similar natural environments and technical levels (projects to promote wide-area technical cooperation).

To respond appropriately to these diversifying development issues, JICA first gains an accurate idea of the details of the recipient country's request and the state of its technical development using participatory methods. We then formulate and implement projects that truly coincide with the needs of the recipient country and can be continued once cooperation has been concluded.

Preservation of bio-diversity is a global issue of ever-increasing importance, and more and more is being expected of JICA in this regard. In particular, we are intensifying cooperation with regard to wildlife conservation, supervision of conservation areas, and the conservation of ecosystems in wetlands, marshes, rivers, and coastal regions.

Thirty-seven such projects were executed in 28 countries in fiscal 1999.

Cooperation in the mining and manufacturing industries

Wide-ranging cooperation is occurring in the mining and manufacturing industries. It includes promotion of small and medium enterprises in developing countries and support for the growth and consolidation of the basic industries that will underpin future economic development.

There has been an increase recently in cooperation in areas such as improving industrial infrastructure to keep pace with rapid industrial development and response to environmental and energy problems. Requests from developing countries are becoming more varied and sophisticated with cooperation in recent years tending to focus on three topics.

The first involves attempts to improve institutions and standards and to strengthen the organizational structure for implementation.

JICA is working on projects in developing countries aimed at strengthening the technical and administrative capacity of organizations engaged in industrial standardization, quality control, increasing productivity, as well as safeguarding and strengthening industrial ownership rights. These are essential matters for any developing country intent on achieving industrial development.

For instance, the system of industrial ownership rights has become increasingly important since the founding of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and within the recent trend toward globalization. In fiscal 1999, JICA engaged in a project involving cooperation with the patent offices of Thailand and the Philippines. We also performed a study with a view to beginning a project in Viet Nam.

The second topic involves environmental conservation measures. In their headlong rush toward economic development, developing countries often fail to address measures to prevent pollution and other environmental concerns. Understandably, they have to inject their limited human and financial resources into development and do not have the leeway to direct further resources into environmental concerns. To enable rapid cooperation with such problems, JICA is engaged in offer-type projects (active environmental conservation cooperation) that propose appropriate environmental conservation methods in line with actual conditions in the recipient country. These proposals make use of the pollution prevention technology developed by Japanese industry. In fiscal 1999, cooperation of this type was provided in the form of six projects implemented in five countries: China, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brazil.

The third topic is cooperation involving linkage between projects and aimed at supporting the stimulation and liberalization of trade and investment primarily in the countries of ASEAN.

Making use of the projects being implemented at present or already completed, information processing was added to the previous topics of industrial standardization and industrial ownership rights in fiscal 1999, with four seminars on these topics being held in Singapore and the Philippines.

In fiscal 1999, 37 projects of this type were implemented in 18 countries

Development Studies

Studies are performed by consultants selected by JICA in line with a "scope of work" (SW) agreed upon by JICA and the government concerned. Reports are produced under JICA's guidance and supervision in cooperation with the governments of developing countries. Technology transfer* occurs while the studies are under way.

Reports prepared on the basis of study results provide recipient governments with data for assessing social and economic development policies. They also offer international organizations and donor countries materials for studying financial aid and technical cooperation. In most cases, the plans proposed by the reports are realized with funds obtained from Japanese yen loans and grant aid.

Skills transferred through the studies are also useful when working on projects financed by the recipient country and when carrying out other studies.

Types of Study

These are conducted to formulate comprehensive and long-term sectoral development plans for a whole country or for specific regions. Master plans ensure efficient execution of a plan by making projects mutually compatible and by clarifying their priority.

Projects ranked in order of priority in the master plan may then become the object of feasibility studies as described below.

2. Feasibility studies (F/S)

These studies examine objectively whether individual projects accorded a priority ranking in development plans and policies allow for practical implementation. Feasibility is examined from various angles including technical concerns, the national economy, government finances, social concerns, administrative organization, institutions, and the environment.

Reports on feasibility studies are used for studying financial cooperation from international agencies and aid donor countries.

3. Overseas development studies

These are small-scale studies involving formulation of simple and basic development plans, analysis of related basic data, and compensation for inadequacies in official statistics. In cases where such work requires knowledge and experience of everyday customs, they are performed by overseas offices using local consultants.

4. Preparation of basic data

The following studies are performed to prepare, gather and submit information needed to formulate development plans:

1. Preparation of topographical charts:Topographical charts such as basic maps of national territory and urban areas are prepared for use as primary data when formulating development plans.
2. Development of groundwater:
   This study ascertains the current quantity and development potential of groundwater reserves.
3. Development of forestry and fishery resources:
   Basic data to ascertain current forestry and fishery resources are obtained through this study.
4. Development of mineral resources:
   This study ascertains the current quantity and development potential of mineral resources through geological surveys, physical investigation, geophysical surveys, and boring; environmental conservation is also studied to accompany the development of mineral resources.

5. Detailed design studies

These are concerned with creating the design drawings, work specifications and tender documentation needed before construction work can begin. More detailed than feasibility studies, they involve preparation of the design drawings required in the construction process and for precise calculation of construction costs. Since fiscal 1998, detailed design studies have been carried out in collaboration with the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in connection specifically with projects scheduled for implementation with yen loans.

6. Policy support studies

These aim at formulating basic strategy and comprehensive plans for promoting policies to ease the process of transition to a market economy and to open up markets through monetary and financial reform, adjustment of legal systems, and privatization of state and public enterprises. Workshops and seminars are held to improve the administrative capacity of the authorities in recipient countries and to provide training. Potential for privatization plans is also studied. Practical plans are drawn up and manuals and texts on the implementation process are compiled.

7. Regional integrated planning development studies

These indicate basic strategy for development, emphasizing distinctive regional features. They involve integrated development plans for specific regions, taking account of how best to form links with development in each sector. Seminars and workshops are held during the study process to improve the planning abilities of administrators in the recipient country.

8. Follow-up studies

These studies look into how plans and projects based on past development studies are progressing in order to ensure that development studies are as effective and efficient as possible. The results are reflected in future development studies.

9. Study-related work

Seminars on study results are held and local-language texts are prepared to encourage technology transfer through development studies. To enhance the effectiveness of these studies, we gather and analyze documentation in the hands of other organizations, assess trends in related fields, and improve study methods.

Project Issues and Responses

Priority issues specific to regions and countries

Region- and country-specific approaches must be further strengthened to obtain an accurate picture of the cultural, social and economic features of the recipient country as well as its aid requirements, and to increase the effectiveness of aid. Through involvement in country-specific plans drawn up principally by the regional divisions, those in charge of development study implementation gain a clear picture of the development issues faced by recipient countries, taking account of cultural, social and economic conditions.

Qualitative improvements based on past experience in separate sectors are made to the orientation and the methods of cooperation. These are reflected in country-specific project planning in order to make projects more efficient and effective.

Priority global issues

The topics dealt with in development studies in environmental fields include management of rivers, lakes and wetlands, waste disposal and measures to combat air pollution, and plans to preserve marine life. Future studies will continue to concentrate on plans for environment-friendly, sustainable development*.

As for important development topics referred to in the DAC New Development Strategy*, we are engaged in one project in the field of health and medical care, four projects in the field of education, and two projects in the field of poverty relief. We intend to continue with studies aimed at realizing development studies in other fields corresponding to these topics.

Increase in policy-support projects

The issues faced by developing countries vary in accordance with differences in economic and financial conditions and technical standards. There has thus been an increase in policy-support projects centering on development needs and upgrading of infrastructure* but also including human resources development, maintenance, and setting up of operational structures after completion. Three development studies providing support for post-conflict recovery were carried out in fiscal 1999. We shall be responding carefully in the future to recipient countries' humanitarian needs, for instance in the form of support for recovery and development following conflict and natural disaster.

Links with other forms of aid

The development study program is closely connected with grant aid, loan aid, and financing by international financial organizations. JICA places particular importance on the exchange of information with sectors responsible for implementation of projects in these areas, and we intend to strengthen and encourage this exchange in the future. Since fiscal 1998 we have been working on nine detailed design studies in linkage with the loan aid program, and we are applying an integrated approach to the whole process -- from the study stage to implementation. To facilitate international initiatives, we are also strengthening our links with other aid agencies.

Qualitative improvement of development study projects

So that study projects can fulfill their original aims and be effectively applied, at the study stage we need to look closely at matters such as a project's technical suitability, funding possibilities, and administrative aspects. The studies themselves must be effective and efficient. Adequate preparatory work, including preliminary studies, and feedback from the results of previous studies are indispensable for raising quality.

JICA is therefore compiling supervision and inspection manuals and preparing planning and technical standards for roads and other projects. We are also compiling basic region-specific, country-specific, and sector-specific information to assist in the formulation of study plans corresponding precisely to diversifying development needs.

In the case of large-scale projects and projects requiring advanced skills, consultants assess and examine the studies from a technical standpoint. Links with local government are encouraged when the authorities possess plentiful experience and expertise.

Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers

The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) program assists and encourages overseas activities on the part of young people who wish to cooperate in the economic and social development of developing countries on the basis of requests from these countries.

JOCVs generally spend two years in developing countries, living and working with the local people. The experience also benefits the volunteers themselves as they strive to overcome the various difficulties they face in their personal relations and work.

Cooperation is provided in seven fields: agriculture, forestry and fisheries, processing, maintenance, civil engineering, public health care, education and culture, and sport. Around 160 occupations are involved in all.

The JOCV program began in 1965 with the dispatch of the first batch of 26 volunteers to four countries, five to Laos, four to Cambodia, 12 to the Philippines, and five to Malaysia.

In fiscal 1999, JOCVs were dispatched for the first time to Uzbekistan, Djibouti and Burkina Faso. As of the end of March 2000, 72 countries, with the recent addition of Belize, had concluded JOCV dispatch agreements with Japan. We expect to conclude similar agreements in the near future with Madagascar, South Africa and Namibia in Africa, Venezuela in South America, and St. Vincent in the Caribbean.

In fiscal 1999, 1,283 volunteers were newly dispatched to various destinations. As of the end of March 2000, 2,495 volunteers (including both newly dispatched volunteers and those continuing from the previous year) were working in 169 different fields, making a total of 20,141 since the program's inception. These include regular, senior, and short-term emergency volunteers, and part-time coordinators. Female volunteers have increased in recent years: at the end of March 2000, 50% of active JOCVs were women. The proportion of women among all JOCVs since the program's start has risen to 34%.

Volunteers are generally sent for two years, but demand has grown for a one-year dispatch duration. This is because of the difficulties encountered by JOCVs in resuming their employment after returning to Japan and of restrictions placed by companies on the length of time that employees can take off to engage in voluntary work. A one-year dispatch system was therefore instituted in fiscal 1997. In fiscal 1999, 17 such "ordinary short-term volunteers" were sent to 13 countries

On the basis of requests from the United Nations, the JOCV Secretariat also sends experienced individuals as United Nations volunteers. At the end of March 2000, there were 40 active United Nations volunteers from Japan, making a total of 167 to date.

The JOCV Secretariat is engaged in the following activities aimed at promoting this program.

From recruitment to dispatch

1. Recruitment and selection of volunteers

Volunteers are recruited twice a year, in spring and fall, with the cooperation of local government bodies and private organizations throughout Japan. In the spring 1999 recruitment campaign, explanatory sessions at 268 venues nationwide were attended by 13,755 people, of whom 4, 122 applied. In the fall campaign, sessions at 272 venues were attended by 12, 511 people, of whom 4,246 applied.

The selection process includes primary and secondary screening, the former including examinations in written English and technical skills, an aptitude test and examination of medical records, and the latter comprising technical and personal interviews and a medical checkup.

There were 690 successful candidates in the spring and 636 in the fall of fiscal 1999.

2. Supplementary technical training
A "supplementary technical training" system as outlined below aims to improve the practical skills needed for cooperation activities and to ensure that volunteers can answer the needs of recipient countries. Altogether 674 people took part in fiscal 1999, receiving training lasting between several days and nine months as necessary.

1. Training in request-specific skills
   Training for volunteers with adequate technical skills who require further instruction in line with specific requests. Also given to JOCVs on temporary home leave after extension of their period of service in cases where additional training is deemed necessary.
2. Training in practical skills
   Training for volunteers who have attained pass levels in basic technical knowledge during secondary screening but who possess insufficient practical skills.

3. Pre-dispatch training

Successful applicants undergo around 80 days of residential pre-dispatch training as probationary volunteers. The aim of this training is to improve their ability to adapt to life and work at their postings. The main courses in the program are:

1. The conceptual basis of JOCV activities, understanding other cultures, etc.;
2. Political, economic, living conditions, etc., in host countries;
3. Security concerns;
4. Health, hygiene and vaccinations;
5. Physical and outdoor training;
6. Language training.

Courses are provided in around 20 languages including English, French, Spanish, Swahili, and Nepali.

Training occurs three times a year at the JOCV Hiroo Training Institute in Tokyo's Shibuya ward, the Nihonmatsu JOCV Training Institute in Fukushima, and the Komagane JOCV Training Institute in Nagano.

Back-up support for volunteer activities

1. Technical instructor (advisor) system

To make JOCV cooperation more effective, a technical advisor system employing experts in various disciplines gives volunteers technical assistance and ensures that the requests presented by developing countries are closely examined. It also ensures that the specialized technical abilities of applicants are accurately assessed during the recruitment and selection processes.

2. Maintaining volunteers' health

A group of advisory doctors is on hand in the health center of the JOCV Secretariat. During pre-dispatch training, volunteers are vaccinated against diseases such as polio and tetanus, and they attend courses on health and hygiene. They receive medical checkups once every six months during their postings. If they suddenly fall ill, they can phone Japan and receive advice on health and instruction on treatment.

3. Injury compensation

Compensation and disbursement for medical treatment and travel are available if a volunteer dies, falls ill, or is injured at any time from the start of pre-dispatch training until return to Japan at the end of overseas service.

4. Careers guidance for returning volunteers

Many volunteers give up their previous jobs or join immediately after leaving school. To assist them with their careers once they are back in Japan, counselors at the JOCV Secretariat and JICA branches and centers in Japan are on hand to give advice, provide employment information, and explore future career possibilities.

Of the 887 volunteers who returned in fiscal 1998, 762 had decided on their careers by the end of the following year: 174 returned to their previous jobs, 385 took up employment (including self-employment), and 203 decided to continue their studies.

Related activities

In addition to the above activities involving dispatch of volunteers, the JOCV Secretariat is engaged in various other activities aimed at promoting projects.

1. Advertising projects

The following activities aim to increase understanding of JOCV activities among the general public, to attract more volunteers, and to provide a forum for the exchange of information with others active in the same field:

1. Preparation of informative literature on projects, etc.
2. Planning and editing of materials for development education.
3. Issue of the monthly magazine Crossroads.
4. Twice monthly issue of JOCV News.
5. Channeling of information to the mass media and cooperation with media coverage.
6. Dispatch of junior JOCVs.

Contact with conditions in developing countries and understanding of the realities of international cooperation is likely to stimulate an interest in cooperation activities among young people. Started in 1998, this system takes advantage of the school holidays in the summer to send Junior JOCVs overseas. Senior high school students in particular are targeted. Forty students were sent in 1998 and 1999 from Okinawa and Ishikawa to Nepal, from Fukushima to the Philippines, and from Ibaraki to Malaysia.

7. Backup program dispatch

This system was started in fiscal 1998 and involves the dispatch of ordinary volunteers for one month to provide temporary support for JOCVs on active service.

In fiscal 1999, a team of five teachers was sent to the Philippines as part of the "Enhancement of Practical Work in Science and Mathematics Education at Regional Level. " Backup was also provided for a team of university teachers and graduate students sent to Nepal as teachers of mathematics and science subjects, and for a team of senior high school music teachers and musical instrument repairers sent to Sri Lanka.

2. Job retention scheme

Many people abandon the idea of joining the JOCVs or join only after resigning from their previous employment because their employers cannot guarantee them reemployment once their period of service is over. JICA has therefore been approaching economic and labor organizations and private companies to persuade them to allow employees serving as volunteers to retain their employment status.

JICA has made provision for paying some of the personnel expenses and miscellaneous costs incurred by employers in this connection to reduce the burden placed on them.

These efforts by JICA have brought about an increase in the number of companies and organizations accepting the principle that employees will have jobs waiting for them once they return from voluntary service. A total of 213 volunteers participated on this understanding in fiscal 1999: four civil servants, 92 local government employees, one government agency employee, and 116 private company employees.

3. Cooperation with related organizations

1. The Association to Foster Volunteers
   Formed by private benefactors in 1976 to support the JOCV program through advertising, career support for volunteers after their return to Japan, and promotion of development education. The association also aims to expand the regional network of support organizations: 33 local support organizations have so far been formed, 31 in urban and rural prefectures and two in cities. As well as collaborating with the association, JICA provides materials and sends lecturers for events and study sessions held by youth groups and organizations such as the Japan Senior High School Association for International Educational Research.
2. Japan Overseas Cooperative Association (JOCA)
   Established in 1983 to support and encourage the activities of former volunteers. It uses the experience of former volunteers who cooperate with various projects in forms such as personal support for volunteer groups and volunteer recruitment and selection.
3. Linkage with groups of former volunteers
   Groups of former volunteers have been formed throughout Japan according to prefecture of origin, type of work, and country of dispatch. They are now cooperating with education to promote international understanding and with local government foreign exchange projects. Prefectural groups of former volunteers are assisting JICA with recruitment and enhancing awareness of JOCV projects.
4. Cooperation with local government
   Assistance from local government is very important when working on JOCV projects. Regular meetings are held with representatives of local government departments responsible for volunteer activities. Officials are also given the chance to observe the activities of the volunteers. Such measures enhance understanding of the volunteer program and strengthen cooperation with local government.
   The JOCV Secretariat recommends counterparts* of JOCV volunteers in connection with the technical training in Japan of overseas participants provided by local government. Such training is carried out through either subsidies for organizations engaged in overseas technical cooperation (local government subsidies) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or independent sources of funding. In fiscal 1999, 93 overseas participants from 33 countries completed technical training in various specialized fields for about ten months under the auspices of 31 local governments.
5. Cooperation with other organizations
   Opinions are exchanged at highly productive meetings with economic and labor organizations in connection with the job retention scheme and corporate and institutional involvement in volunteer work.

Other volunteer activities

The JOCV Secretariat also dispatches Japan Overseas Development Youth Volunteers, Senior Cooperation Experts on Overseas Japanese Communities, and Senior Overseas Volunteers.

The Japan Overseas Development Youth Volunteers and Senior Cooperation Experts on Overseas Japanese Communities programs are aimed at Japanese communities in Latin America. Ethnic Japanese are contributing significantly to nation-building in their respective countries, and Japanese volunteers are being sent to assist them.

The Japan Overseas Development Youth Volunteer program, which started out as the Overseas Development Youth Program in fiscal 1985, gained its current name and content after being transferred to the JOCV Secretariat in fiscal 1996. As of the end of March 2000, 143 volunteers were at work in eight countries, primarily in the educational and cultural sector. A total of 596 volunteers have now been sent since the inception of the program.

Projects involving the Senior Overseas Volunteers and the Senior Cooperation Experts on Overseas Japanese Communities programs began in fiscal 1990 and were transferred to the JOCV Secretariat in fiscal 1996. At the end of March 2000, 146 Senior Overseas Volunteers and 36 Senior Cooperation Experts on Overseas Japanese Communities were active in fifteen and seven countries respectively. The total numbers of volunteers dispatched since these programs began have now reached 217 and 143 respectively.

Future Responses

The ODA budget has been seriously affected by the prolonged economic downturn, but we managed nevertheless to obtain a budget for JOCV programs of US$21.5 billion, up by 10.1% over the previous year. This allowed for the recruitment of 1,380 ordinary JOCVs (30 more than the previous year) and the dispatch of 400 volunteers (300 more than the previous year). These figures give some idea of the high expectations of JOCV activities and the high regard in which they are held by recipient countries.

The JOCV Secretariat is using the following means to grasp the real needs of developing countries, to ensure that the most appropriate people are dispatched in each case, and to ensure that the volunteers can work in secure environments.

1. Opening up new fields for dispatch

Various new fields not requiring specialized scientific knowledge are now being developed. Several are now attracting large numbers of applicants, one example being collaboration between social workers and the WHO on combating polio and assisting the socially disadvantaged. The new field of "literacy education" was instituted in the spring 2000 recruitment campaign, and we intend to continue in the future opening up new fields for dispatch.

2. Enhanced career development support for returning volunteers

As well as stepping up career development support for returning volunteers, we are also considering how to enhance general assessment of JOCV activities as follows:

1. Intercession with the Ministry of Education and education committees to encourage employment of returning volunteers as teaching staff;
2. Strengthening PR activities to assist returning volunteers with their future careers.

After returning to Japan, JOCVs must decide on how to proceed with their careers. Making more career advisors available is one of the ways we are stepping up support in this area. Also, to ensure that JOCVs' experience is fed back smoothly into Japanese society, we are supporting the regional activities of organizations of former volunteers such as prefectural alumni associations.

3. Expansion of Senior Overseas Volunteer activities

With the gradual aging of the Japanese population, there is a growing awareness of the contribution that older people can make as volunteers. Senior Overseas Volunteer projects are thus becoming increasingly important. The JOCV Secretariat set up a Senior Volunteers Division in April 2000. We are now strengthening the system of project implementation with a view to increasing the scale of dispatch and the number of countries to which volunteers are sent.

Community Empowerment Program

The Japanese Government offers various assistance programs to meet the diverse needs of developing countries through Official Development Assistance (ODA). While the role of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in society is increasing as actors responsible for the nation building and human development of developing countries, the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) was introduced in 1997 as a new scheme of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the executing agency for technical cooperation of the Government of Japan. The program was created to directly benefit people at the grassroots level in developing countries for the improvement of their livelihood and welfare. Under this scheme, a model program, with endorsement of the recipient government, will be implemented by JICA together with NGOs, which play an important role in implementing projects at the grassroots level.

Eligible NGOs

Program Period

Model programs will be implemented for a maximum of three (3) years. Specific length of the program will be decided based on the characteristics and goals of the program.

Program Areas

1. Community development
   Reinforcement of group and cooperative activities, community market / distribution and community activities, etc.
2. Elderly, disabled, and chi/d welfare support
   Vocational training for the disabled, day-care center activities for the elderly, child care, etc.
3. Health and hygiene improvement
   Primary health care, public health, reproductive health, hygiene and sanitation improvement, nutrition improvement, etc.
4. Women's empowerment
   Vocational training, literacy improvement, health and hygiene training, leader training, etc.
5. Improvement of living environments
   Safe water Supplies, sanitation, etc.
6. Capacity building
   Primary education, vocational education, community leader training, public libraries, etc,
7. Promotion of local Industries
   Vocational training, marketing, micro-industry, agro-industry, etc.

Program Components

In advance of implementing a model program, an agreement (Minutes of Meeting) between the JICA 's Overseas Office, NGO, and the authorities concerned of the government of the recipient country will be concluded. Based on this agreement, the JICA 's Overseas Office and NGO will conclude a contract, and the NGO will implement the model program in accordance with the contract agreement under the supervision of the JICA 's Overseas Office,

1. Model program
   JICA will provide the necessary expenses in accordance with the approved budget for implementation of activities specified in the contract agreement. The budgets will be prepared every fiscal year (April through March) of the Japanese government and entrusted to the NGO. Eligible expenses include:
   • Technical personnel expenditure related to the project
   • Small-scale machinery / material / equipment
   • Small-scale construction / renovation of physical facilities
   • Training / seminars / workshops
   • Other costs necessary for program operation
2. Technical assistance
   Technical assistance will be provided by Japanese experts, including members of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), to implement the program effectively. These experts will be dispatched at the expense of JICA based upon an official request from the government of the recipient country.

Miscellaneous Requirements

1. The funds allocated by the budget of the program must be used exclusively on specific activities agreed in the contract, The JICA is Overseas Office reserves the right to request reimbursement of expenses if money is used for any other purpose.
2. To assure accountability, the NGO should submit a progress report every quarter to the JICA 's Overseas Office, as well as a final report at the time of termination of the contract, including accounting documents audited by a registered audit firm established in the recipient country. To facilitate auditing, it is recommended that the NGO maintain CEP program's records separate from other activities.
3. If the NGO finds that it has to modify the activities of the plan for any reason, it must obtain prior approval from the JICA 's Overseas Office.

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