Future Perfect

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ustainability

olicies

, P

rogrammes

and

their

conomic

mpact

through public-private cooperation, along with estab-

lishing international frameworks. Japan is ready to

contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions on a

global scale through this vision. To this end, Japan

announced assistance of approximately US$15 billion

up to 2012 for developing countries that are making

efforts to reduce GHG emissions and that are particu-

larly vulnerable to climate change. Japan has already

implemented US$12.5 billion as of the end of October

2011, and is going to continue to implement its

commitment steadily, focusing mainly on vulnerable

countries. Japan has promoted regional cooperation

initiatives such as the African Green Growth Strategy,

which was adopted under the framework of the Tokyo

International Conference on African Development

(TICAD), and the East Asia Low-Carbon Growth

Partnership under the East Asia Summit architecture.

With regard to the latter, Japan hosted a conference

in April this year to share best practices, expertise and

information in East Asia.

Food security

Japan has been promoting Responsible Agricultural

Investment (RAI), which aims to harmonize and

maximize benefits to investors, recipient countries and

local communities, in cooperation with the relevant

international organizations. In addition, Japan has

been endeavouring to increase agricultural produc-

tion and productivity by actions such as improving

irrigation infrastructures in developing regions and

disseminating cultivation techniques. To develop

rural areas and to facilitate appropriate management

of natural resource, Japan has been making efforts to

promote international cooperation such as through

technical, financial and food assistance, including

South-South cooperation, joint assistance by Japan

and Brazil in Mozambique and the Coalition for

African Rice Development, including the promotion

of the New Rice for Africa project. At the G8 L’Aquila

Summit, Japan pledged a minimum of US$3 billion for

agriculture-related sectors from 2010 to 2012 and has

been steadily disbursing this assistance.

In the field of water, which is closely related to food

security, Japan, as the top donor of official development

assistance in the field of water and sanitation, has been

contributing to the improvement of water and sewage

systems as well as to water resource management, in

order to solve diverse issues related to water. Japan has

been leading the way as regards international assist-

ance in the field of water and sanitation, particularly

by announcing JPY30 billion in grant-aid assistance at

TICAD IV in 2008.

Biodiversity

Japan hosted the 10th Conference of the Parties of

the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD/COP

10) in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture in 2010 and has

been exercising initiatives such as the CBD/COP 10

Presidency and establishing the Intergovernmental

In 1999, the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security was

established by Japan’s initiative. Japan has implemented concrete

projects that meet the concept of human security, contributing

JPY41.3 billion (approximately US$370 million) in total for 211

projects in 123 countries and regions. Moreover, it has itself imple-

mented 1,176 projects in 122 countries and one region as of FY 2010

alone, within the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security

Projects framework.

One example of Japan’s assistance through the United Nations

Trust Fund for Human Security is the Integrated Community

Empowerment and Peace-Building Support in Ituri project in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this project, four interna-

tional organizations, namely UNDP, FAO, UNICEF and UNHCR,

conducted activities to strengthen the human security of a number

of displaced persons affected by the civil war. Activities included

restoring production assets, securing access to social services such

as local administrations and medical care, and developing a culture

of peaceful coexistence of communities. Japan has been providing

bilateral assistance to complement these activities, which contribute

to comprehensive, multi-faceted and multi-layered assistance to the

target community.

Japan’s efforts towards sustainable development

To realize sustainable development, Japan has taken various meas-

ures as follows:

Disaster risk reduction

Japan has consistently advocated the importance of disaster risk

reduction, by hosting the 1st (Yokohama: 1994) and 2nd (Kobe:

2005) United Nations World Conferences on Disaster Reduction.

The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, adopted at the 2nd

Conference in Kobe, stipulates the priority actions for disaster

risk reduction and has been the guideline for each country as the

single international agreement in this field. At the Asia-Africa

Summit in 2005, Japan announced the contribution of more than

US$2.5 billion over five years for disaster risk reduction and

reconstruction. Since then it has steadily disbursed this assist-

ance as part of its enthusiastic extension of assistance for disaster

risk reduction.

Last year, Japan experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake,

which was an unprecedented disaster for the country. In order to

build a more resilient and sustainable society, Japan is ready to share

its experience and the lessons learned from this earthquake with the

international community. For this purpose, Japan will hold a High-

Level International Conference on Large-Scale Natural Disasters in

Tohoku this year and will pass on the results of this conference for

the formulation of a post-Hyogo Framework for Action statement

at the 3rd United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction,

which Japan expressed its intention to host.

Climate change

Japan announced Japan’s vision and actions towards low-carbon

growth and a climate-resilient world on the occasion of the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 17th

Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC/COP 17) in Durban, South

Africa at the end of last year. In order to address the issue of climate

change effectively, it is necessary for both developed and develop-

ing countries to achieve low-carbon growth all over the world,

by fully mobilizing technology, markets and financial resources