Complementarity of ODA and NGO Roles : A Case Study of Japanese Support of the Millennium Development Goals

概要

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Since roughly 2000 Japan's foreign aid policy has been beset by two contradictory forces. On one hand, the foreign aid budget has been reduced almost yearly since its peak in 1998. On the other hand, the international development community has rallied around the banner of poverty reduction, especially as agreed in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2001.The Japanese government pledged to assist in the attainment of the MDGs in 2000. Japan'sODA has only partially fulfilled the government's commitments, however, as aid fatigue anda structural public debt problem have led to decreases in ODA levels contrary to the spirit of these summits. Aid agencies have adopted a neoliberal rhetoric of partnership with private sector and civil society organizations. This article analyzes the contribution of Japan's NGOs to the MDGs and examines whether Japanese NGOs play complementary roles with ODA in meeting the country's commitments to those goals. It considers the countries and sectors in which NGOs are active and assesses whether ODA-subsidized NGO projects are aligned withthe MDGs or not. The article concludes with suggestions about how Japan's NGOs might more effectively enhance Japan's development assistance efforts toward the MDGs.