Policy Updates

On August 20, 2024, Japan announced it will host the TICAD Ministerial Meeting on August 24-25 as a precursor to TICAD9, which is due to be held in August 2025.

The meeting will involve discussions with African ministers and international organizations to strengthen Japan-Africa relations. Sessions will focus on relevant themes such as education, innovation, universal health coverage, and health financing.

On July 18, 2024, PALM10 took place, co-chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, with leaders and representatives from 19 countries and regions, including Japan, 14 Pacific Island countries, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Australia, and New Zealand.

The meeting focused on seven main topics aligned with the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy, which entailed:

• Political leadership and regionalism;
• People-centered development;
• Peace and security;
• Resources and economic development;
• Climate change and disasterss;
• Ocean and environment; and
• Technology and connectivity.

The leaders discussed regional and international affairs, reaffirming the Japan-Pacific partnership and adopting the PALM10 Leaders’ Declaration and Joint Action Plan.

Key sessions included:

• Opening Session: Kishida emphasized Japan's commitment to elevate relations and support the region's unity under the 2050 Strategy;
• Session 1: Focused on development cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. Japan surpassed its previous commitment, developing human resources for 7,500 people. Discussions included the safety of ALPS treated water discharge;
• Session 2: Addressed climate change and disaster resilience. Kishida announced the Pacific Climate Resilience Initiative with three pillars: disaster risk reduction, promoting decarbonization, and supporting Pacific-led efforts. Efforts to combat illegal fishing and maintain a stable Pacific Ocean were also emphasized;
• Session 3: Focused on people-centered development, economic development, and technology. Japan committed to continuing support in education, health, and infrastructure development, including submarine cables;
• Working Lunch Agenda 1: Discussed international cooperation for peace and security, upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific" and addressing issues like UN Security Council reform and North Korean threats; and
• Working Lunch Agenda 2: Kishida pledged further development cooperation and people-to-people exchanges for 6,500 people through 2027.

The meeting concluded with reaffirmations of partnership and future cooperation plans, highlighting the mutual commitment to tackling regional challenges and fostering development.

On August 7, 2024, JICA signed a grant agreement with the Government of Eswatini to provide up to JPY1.6 billion (US$11 million) to improve secondary schools.

The project aims to enhance the schooling environment and accessibility in four target areas by constructing new secondary schools, equipping them with educational tools, and providing consulting services.

The initiative, due to be implemented over roughly 4 years, supports the improvement of secondary education quality in Eswatini and contributes to UN SDG #4.

On July 19, 2024, Japan signed an agreement for four grant aid projects totaling JPY4.6 billion (US$30 million). The projects aim to address various issues including human resource development, healthcare, landmine removal, and food assistance.

The human resource development project, worth JPY239 million (US$2 million), will support young Senegalese officials in obtaining master's degrees in Japan, enhancing their administrative capabilities and strengthening bilateral ties.

The healthcare project, with a budget of JPY3.7 billion (US$24 million), will expand and equip Thies Regional Hospital to improve diagnosis and treatment facilities, addressing the rising burden of NCDs in Senegal and its neighboring countries.

The landmine removal project, valued at JPY460 million (US$3 million), will provide demining equipment to help clear mines in the Casamance region, facilitating road construction and agricultural development.

The JPY200 million (US$1 million) food assistance project will supply Japanese rice to Senegal to enhance food security, which has been challenged by climate change and the Ukraine crisis.

On June 26, 2024, Japan signed and exchanged notes with Lao PDR for two grant projects totaling JPY753 million (US$5 million).

The first project, the Human Resource Development Scholarship, is planned to address Lao PDR's complex development issues by supporting up to 21 young government officials to study at Japanese graduate schools, starting in 2025. The initiative aims to enhance the administrative capacity of Lao PDR's government agencies and ministries, contributing to solving priority development issues and strengthening bilateral relations through human networks.

The second project focuses on accelerating the clearance of unexploded ordnance in the southern provinces of Lao PDR, particularly Sekong, Salavan, and Champasak. There are an estimated 80 million unexploded ordnance units remaining from the Vietnam War. The project aims to support clearance activities to improve safety, expand agricultural land, and facilitate infrastructure development, to boost regional development and reduce unexploded ordnance-related casualties.

On May 23-25, 2024, the G7 Ministers of Finance met at a summit in Stresa, Italy, where the ministers voiced support for contributions to the IDA, WHO, Gavi, and the Global Fund in the resulting communiqué.

The G7 ministers supported efforts towards a successful 21^st replenishment of the IDA by the end of 2024 through an ambitious policy and financing package. Notably, they did not give a concrete signal that the critical US$100 billion threshold requested by the World Bank will be crossed, nor any indication of the US$120 billion expected by African leaders.

The ministers reaffirmed their dedication to strengthening the governance and finance of the global health architecture and voiced support for refinancing processes of several GHIs, such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the WHO, and the Global Fund, and expressed support for the Pandemic Fund. The communiqué called on the donor community to coordinate efforts and increase investments in global health in line with their capacities to ensure sustainable funding and maximize the impact of available resources.

Following the summit, the C7 pointed out the G7's lack of ambition and financial commitment to international development, including climate adaptation. International civil society organizations criticized the lack of any reference to allocating SDRs to global solidarity.

On May 14-15, 2024, the C7 summit was held at the UN FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, organized by the Italian Civil Society Coalition that led, coordinated, and moderated the C7 2024 process.

Approximately 400 global representatives took part in the event, as well as international decision-makers, including FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, Italian G7 sherpa Ambassador Elisabetta Belloni, Cardinal, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Pope’s envoy for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict Matteo Maria Zuppi, and Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign Marina Ponti.

The official C7 communiqué that listed the international civil society recommendation to the G7’s Leaders around seven key issues was released at the event, which included:

• Economic justice and transformation;
• Climate, energy transformation, and environmental justice;
• Global health;
• Principled humanitarian assistance;
• Peace, common security, and nuclear disarmament;
• Human mobility and migration; and
• Food justice and food systems transformation.

On March 22, 2024, it was announced that TICAD 9 will be held in Yokohama, Japan from August 20-25, 2025.

TICAD is an international conference led by the Japanese government in collaboration with various international organizations such as the UN, the UNDP, the African Union Commission, and the World Bank. The conference aims to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners, including Japan, to address the developmental challenges facing Africa.

In previous iterations, the conference focused on key issues such as economic development, poverty reduction, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and sustainable development in Africa. TICAD has been held regularly since its inception in 1993 and is considered one of the most significant platforms for African development cooperation.

On March 6, 2024, Japan pledged a JPY14 billion loan (US$93 million) to Rwanda aimed at fostering economic and social transformation by improving teacher training and the educational environment.

This initiative, titled Development Policy Loan for the Education Sector, is slated to strengthen teacher training institutions, promote educational digital transformation, and enhance internal efficiency, contributing to the development of globally competitive talent.

This loan builds on Japan’s commitment, expressed at the TICAD8, to improve learning for children and provide quality education to 9 million people, alongside mainstreaming digital transformation in health, education, agriculture, and postal services.

On February 29, 2024, Japan pledged US$7 million to UNICEF to enhance the well-being and education of vulnerable and earthquake-affected children in Syria amid ongoing conflict and crises.

The contribution aimed to address the challenges faced by Syrian children after 13 years of conflict, economic crises, and recent earthquakes, which have caused significant fatalities and injuries and impacted millions, including 3.3 million children. This funding will support protection services, safe learning environments, and resilience-building for children and young people across Syria, emphasizing the recovery of learning losses and skills development for better societal integration and labor market engagement.

The donation underscored Japan’s commitment as a leading UNICEF donor, contributing approximately US$57 million between 2020 and 2023 to support Syrian children and families, underlining the importance of sustainable funding for early recovery and resilience-building efforts in the region.