TANAKA Akihiko

OECD Development Assistance Committee Chair Erik Solheim, left, with JICA President Akihiko Tanaka

JICA President Akihiko Tanaka held talks with Erik Solheim, chair of the Development Assistance Committee (*1) of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, on Dec. 17 at JICA headquarters in Tokyo.

Tanaka started by saying, "Japan is approaching the 60th anniversary of ODA in 2014, and development cooperation stakeholders including Japan recognize 2014 and 2015 as an important time. It is set to be a period of working on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and of advancing discussion on the framework of the Post-2015 Development Agenda." (*2)

"As new actors emerge in official and non-official development assistance, for Post-2015, it is necessary to aim for broad capital mobilization both from domestic and overseas sources to solve various development issues. From this viewpoint, debates over the definition of new ODA are also beginning," Solheim replied.

As for JICA’s efforts to advance cooperation with new actors, Tanaka gave such examples as triangular cooperation, South-South cooperation and the annual Asian Development Forum which Asian emerging donors join.

Solheim replied, "I recognize triangular cooperation and South-South cooperation as important schemes."

He continued to say, "From a viewpoint of financial assistance, China and Middle Eastern countries are particularly important. Other emerging donors apply technical cooperation as their major modality. I would like to advance cooperation with India, Indonesia, Brazil and some African countries as well."


(*1) One of the committees under the umbrella of the OECD, it was launched with goals including substantively expanding assistance to developing countries and working to make the assistance more efficient. It is made up of 28 out of the 34 member countries of the OECD and the European Union, totaling 29 members.

(*2) International development goals for after the MDGs achievement deadline of 2015.