JICA-RI Director Attends ODA International Conference in Seoul, Korea

In preparation for the target year of United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015, the 7th Seoul ODA International Conference (SOIC) was organized in Seoul, the Republic of Korea on October 7-8, 2013. The event, where JICA-RI Director Hiroshi Kato attended, focused on “Post-2015 Development Framework and the Role of ODA” with an aim of planning effective ODA strategies for the post-2015 era.

The SOIC was co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The conference assembled speakers and panels for discussion from diverse backgrounds: developing institutions, academics and government sectors from both developed and developing countries according to relevant topics. The participants discussed, highlighting the role of ODA in a range of topics related to the Post-2015 development agenda.

In Session 1 entitled “ODA and Other Development Resources,” two speakers gave presentations; Mr. Richard Carey, the former Director of the Development Co-operation Directorate at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD DCD) spoke on the topic of “Contribution of ODA in Achieving the MDGs;” Mr. Dirk Willem Dijkerman, the Special Advisor to OECD DCD gave another presentation on the topic of “Mobilizing Development Resources in the Post-2015 Agenda.” In the Panel Discussion that immediately followed, Kato explained the contribution of Japanese ODA towards achieving the MDGs, while reflecting the presentations of Mr. Carey and Mr. Dijkerman.

Kato, defining the primary role of ODA as filling the gaps created by ‘market failures,’ explained that the pump priming role of ODA—to attract other funds—would stay unchanged. He also stressed: ODA should disseminate program information to private sector for their cooperation; and it should promote sharing and creating knowledge that is as important as funding. Kato lastly introduced a wide range of efforts that Japan has implemented in Asia over the long period, along with giving examples of a series of corridor development projects that Japan is currently implementing in Africa and other parts of the world.