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Self Report 2017

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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1B
Act early

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Japan commits to share and demonstrate good practices and lessons learned on conflict prevention and resolution in Asia.
  • Policy
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to act early upon potential conflict situations based on early warning findings and shared conflict analysis, in accordance with international law.
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
  • Commit to make successful conflict prevention visible by capturing, consolidating and sharing good practices and lessons learnt.
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

  • Achievements at a glance

    Japan continues to share and demonstrate good practices and lessons learned on conflict prevention and resolution in Asia.

1C
Remain engaged and invest in stability

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Japan commits to train experts who could contribute in this area, for example, through its Global Peacebuilders Program.
  • Training
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
  • Japan commits to addressing root causes of conflict by investing in social stabilization and development, through assistance to reduce poverty and disparities such as strengthening prevention, preparedness and response capacities against public health emergencies, as well as ensuring the basic health services as part of stable economic and social infrastructure.
  • Financial
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
  • Japan commits to contribute to prevent and resolve conflicts including through being a member and chair (2016) of the G7, its efforts as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (2016-2017), as well as via its contribution to the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission and the Conference on the Cooperation among East Asian countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD).
  • Operational
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to improve prevention and peaceful resolution capacities at the national, regional and international level improving the ability to work on multiple crises simultaneously.
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
  • Commit to sustain political leadership and engagement through all stages of a crisis to prevent the emergence or relapse into conflict.
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
  • Commit to address root causes of conflict and work to reduce fragility by investing in the development of inclusive, peaceful societies.
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

  • Achievements at a glance

    - From June to December 2016, Japan provided training courses through the Global Peacebuilders Program to 56 people in order to train experts in the area of peacebuilding and development.
    - Japan has worked on to addressing root causes of conflict by investing in social stabilization and development, through assistance to reduce poverty and disparities such as strengthening prevention, preparedness and response capacities against public health emergencies, as well as ensuring the basic health services as part of stable economic and social infrastructure.
    - Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) works in Darfur, Sudan to address social stabilization by improving capacity development of the government and the community to provide public services including water, income generation, health sector (“The Project for Strengthening Peace through the Improvement of Public Services in Three Darfur States”). In North Uganda, JICA continues to work to upgrade water system to stabilize the region to support return and repatriation process.
    - Japan has contributed to preventing and resolving conflicts including by being the Presidency (2016) of the G7, its efforts as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (2016-2017), as well as via its contribution to the UN Peacebuilding Commission. Further examples are provided in the attached document, entitled Japan Progress Report 2017.

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems ☑ 5C - Invest in stability

1D
Develop solutions with and for people

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Based on its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security based on the Security Council Resolution 1325, Japan commits to: 1) ensure equal participation of women in all stages in the field of peace and security with the intent of achieving gender mainstreaming; 2) promote women's participation and leadership in all processes of prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts and in decision making while strengthening a gender equal perspective; 3) protect various aid recipients including women and girls from violence and other human rights infringement during or after conflict or under humanitarian crisis such as large-scale disaster; 4) provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance while reflecting circumstances and needs unique to women and girls, promoting women's empowerment, and ensuring women's participation.


  • Operational
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind

  • Japan commits to promote inclusion of women and women's groups into political decision-making and peace processes, including through implementation of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security based on the Security Council Resolution 1325.


  • Advocacy
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind

  • Achievements at a glance

    Based on its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security based on the Security Council Resolution 1325, Japan has been providing opportunity and support for promoting leadership, equal participation, and empowerment of women.

    Japan has promoted inclusion of women and women’s groups into political decision-making and peace processes. For example, on December 12, 2016, Japan hosted the “International Symposium on the Promotion of Women’s Public and Socio-Economic Role in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region” in Tokyo, in which experts from the MENA region, G7 countries and international organizations had participated.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Gender

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3D - Empower and protect women and girls

2B
Ensure full access to and protection of the humanitarian and medical missions

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Japan commits to ensure full respect for humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law and human rights law. Japan also commits to promote and enhance the protection of civilians and access to humanitarian and medical assistance. Specific examples include implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2286 on Health Care in Armed Conflict, which Japan strongly supported recently; contribution to discussion to establish feasible compliance mechanisms for international humanitarian law; and advocacy activities to raise awareness of IHL's importance at the various relevant conferences.
  • Advocacy
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to ensure all populations in need receive rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Commit to promote and enhance efforts to respect and protect medical personnel, transports and facilities, as well as humanitarian relief personnel and assets against attacks, threats or other violent acts.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

  • Achievements at a glance

    Japan has made efforts to ensure full respect for humanitarian principles, as well as compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law. For example, Japan has promoted the protection of civilians and access to humanitarian and medical assistance as well as advocated for raising awareness of IHL’s importance at various fora. Japan also served together with New Zealand, Egypt, Spain and Uruguay in drafting and ensuring the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 2286.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Humanitarian principles

2D
Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Japan commits to contribute to eradicating sexual and gender-based violence and protecting survivors. Japan has been actively participating in the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI), is one of the largest donors to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sexual Violence in Conflict, has introduced a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, and has provided training for concerned stakeholders including military, police, judicial and civilian personnel to promote prevention of sexual and gender-based violence in various countries.


  • Operational
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Japan commits to contribute to reinforcing the global justice system in order to end impunity. Japan's long term contribution in this area can be seen in its various forms of engagement in the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT), and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).
  • Operational
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Japan commits to support the Code of Conduct of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) group regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, as well as the French-Mexican initiative on collective and voluntary agreement among the permanent members to refrain from the use of veto in case of mass atrocities.
  • Policy
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Implement a coordinated global approach to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in crisis contexts, including through the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence in Emergencies.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

  • Achievements at a glance

    Japan has contributed to eradicating sexual and gender-based violence and protecting survivors through the contribution to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sexual Violence in Conflict as well as various assistance in line with its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. For example, Japan assists in in the development of training materials for Women’s Protection Advisers in UN PKO missions. Japan also supports the development of an e-learning program on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, targeting all categories of field personnel, including military, police and civilian personnel.

    Japan has contributed to reinforcing the global justice system in order to end impunity. Japan has supported the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the largest financial contributor and by providing human resources including Judge Kuniko Ozaki, Second Vice-President. Japan also made a voluntary contribution of approximately EUR 47,000 to the Trust Fund for Victims of the ICC in 2016.

    Japan has continued to support the Code of Conduct of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) group regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, as well as the French-Mexican initiative on collective and voluntary agreement among the permanent members to refrain from the use of veto in case of mass atrocities.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Gender ☑ People-centred approach

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑2E - Uphold the rules: a global campaign to affirm the norms that safeguard humanity ☑ 3D - Empower and protect women and girls

2E
Uphold the rules: a global campaign to affirm the norms that safeguard humanity

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Japan commits to continue to work strenuously towards the promotion of universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and its full implementation.
  • Advocacy
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Japan commits to promote the commitments made under the joint pledge on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
  • Advocacy
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

  • Achievements at a glance

    Japan has been working strenuously towards the promotion of universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and its full implementation.

    Japan has been promoting the commitments made under the joint pledge on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

3A
Reduce and address displacement

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Based on the concept of human security, Japan commits to contribute to protect and empower refugees and internally displaced persons to be free from fear and want and to be able to live in dignity as well as to build societies resilient to crises.
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • Japan commits to implement the following five points in order to achieve better collaboration between humanitarian and development actors to find solutions for forcibly displaced persons as pointed out in the Joint Statement by the Government of Japan and the Solutions Alliance, which was issued at the WHS side event on "Strengthening the Humanitarian-Development Nexus": 1) Ensuring meaningful participation of the most affected - host and returnee communities and forcibly displaced people - in the pursuit of solutions to forced displacement; 2) Including forced displacement issues in national and local development plans, and in peacebuilding and recovery strategies; 3) Marshaling the comparative advantages of humanitarian and development actors for collective action through the promotion of institutional flexibility while respecting fundamental principles; 4)Developing a common vision through identification of complementary policies, and joint analysis that enables holistic planning; 5) Seeing the humanitarian-development nexus as an integral part of promoting peace and security.


  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan commits to provide support to refugee hosting countries and communities. For example, Japan has been supporting long-term commitment of refugee-hosting countries and communities by providing innovative financing, including concessional loans to crisis-hit countries with relatively high income levels (for example, Yen loans to Turkey and Jordan).
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • Japan commits to providing an assistance package of about US$ 6 billion for the Middle East region between 2016 and 2018 including human resource development programs for about 20,000 people. Furthermore, Japan will dispatch Japan Team for Refugees and Community (J-TRaC) to refugee camps by JICA and increase the number of Syrian students in Japan. Japan has also recently committed to contributing US$ 50 million and a maximum of US$ 900 million in yen loans over the next 5 years for the World Bank's new financing initiative to support the Middle East and North Africa.


  • Financial Contribution
  • Leave No One Behind Invest in Humanity

  • Japan commits to strengthen measures to address displacement caused by natural disaster, climate change and public health emergency, through for example prior investment in disaster risk reduction, early warning, preparedness and implementation of "build back better" after a disaster occurs. Japan has provided support in countries including in the Asia-Pacific region and in Africa as well as through the Green Climate Fund.


  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind Invest in Humanity
  • With a view to reducing the burden shouldered by refugee-hosting countries and communities as well as strengthening their resilience, Japan commits to continue to provide support to the host countries and communities, in terms of infrastructure development, service delivery improvement and capacity building of local government officials and community-based organizations. This support includes that provided for local government capacity development in West Nile in Uganda. Japan also has been supporting the long-term commitments of refugee-hosting countries and communities by providing loans to crisis-hit countries with relatively high income levels. (ex. Yen loans to Turkey and Jordan).
  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to a new approach to addressing forced displacement that not only meets immediate humanitarian needs but reduces vulnerability and improves the resilience, self-reliance and protection of refugees and IDPs. Commit to implementing this new approach through coherent international, regional and national efforts that recognize both the humanitarian and development challenges of displacement. Commit to take the necessary political, policy, legal and financial steps required to address these challenges for the specific context.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Commit to promote and support safe, dignified and durable solutions for internally displaced persons and refugees. Commit to do so in a coherent and measurable manner through international, regional and national programs and by taking the necessary policy, legal and financial steps required for the specific contexts and in order to work towards a target of 50 percent reduction in internal displacement by 2030.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Acknowledge the global public good provided by countries and communities which are hosting large numbers of refugees. Commit to providing communities with large numbers of displaced population or receiving large numbers of returnees with the necessary political, policy and financial, support to address the humanitarian and socio-economic impact. To this end, commit to strengthen multilateral financing instruments. Commit to foster host communities' self-reliance and resilience, as part of the comprehensive and integrated approach outlined in core commitment 1.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Commit to collectively work towards a Global Compact on responsibility-sharing for refugees to safeguard the rights of refugees, while also effectively and predictably supporting States affected by such movements.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Commit to actively work to uphold the institution of asylum and the principle of non-refoulement. Commit to support further accession to and strengthened implementation of national, regional and international laws and policy frameworks that ensure and improve the protection of refugees and IDPs, such as the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol or the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala convention) or the Guiding Principles on internal displacement.
  • Leave No One Behind

  • Achievements at a glance

    - In December 2016, Japan launched SDGs Implementation Guiding Principles. Japan has been working on implementing measures which contribute to the realization of the world where no one would be left behind, including the assistance for refugees and internally displaced persons.
    - Japan has continued to implement the five points identified in the Joint Statement by the Government of Japan and the Solutions Alliance in order to achieve better collaboration between humanitarian and development actors to find solutions for forcibly displaced persons.
    - Japan has provided support to refugee hosting countries and communities including provision of innovative financing.
    - Japan has been steadily implemented its commitments to providing an assistance package of about USD 6 billion for the Middle East region between 2016 and 2018 including human resource development programs for about 20,000 people.
    - Japan has provided support for disaster risk reduction, early warning, preparedness, and measures against health emergency as well as climate change effects to address displacement caused by natural disaster, climate change and public health emergency.
    - In order to reduce the burden shouldered by refugee-hosting countries and communities as well as strengthening their resilience, Japan has provided support for service delivery improvement and capacity building of local government officials and community-based organizations.
    For more information or specific examples of support provided, please see the attached document, entitled Japan Progress Report 2017.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Disaster Risk Reduction ☑ People-centred approach ☑ Refugees

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems ☑ 4C - Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

3D
Empower and protect women and girls

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Based on its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security based on the Security Council Resolution 1325, Japan commits to: 1) ensure equal participation of women in all stages in the field of peace and security with the intent of achieving gender mainstreaming; 2) promote women's participation and leadership in all processes of prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts and in decision making while strengthening a gender equal perspective; 3) protect various aid recipients including women and girls from violence and other human rights infringement during or after conflict or under humanitarian crisis such as large-scale disaster; 4) provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance while reflecting circumstances and needs unique to women and girls, promoting women's empowerment, and ensuring women's participation.


  • Operational
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind
  • Japan commits to actively support projects which contribute to the empowerment and protection of women and girls as well as to play a leading role towards creating the societies in which women shine, including by holding the World Assembly for Women.
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Japan commits to improve the environment of women through measures such as increasing the enrollment rate of girls, providing vocational-training, and improving water-supply systems in local areas.
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • Japan commits to promote inclusion of women and women's groups into political decision-making and peace processes, including through implementation of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security based on the Security Council Resolution 1325.


  • Advocacy
  • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind
  • Japan commits to promote the leadership and participation of women in decision-making at all levels regarding disaster risk reduction, response and recovery.
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • Japan commits to promote Universal Health Coverage (UHC) thus improving women's access to health services.


  • Advocacy
  • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Over the next three years (2016-2018), Japan will conduct human resource development program for about 5,000 female officials and professionals and improve learning environment for about 50,000 female students.
  • Capacity
  • Leave No One Behind

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Empower Women and Girls as change agents and leaders, including by increasing support for local women's groups to participate meaningfully in humanitarian action.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcome documents of their review conferences for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Ensure that humanitarian programming is gender responsive.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

  • Achievements at a glance

    - Based on its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security based on the Security Council Resolution 1325, Japan has been providing opportunity and support for promoting leadership, equal participation, and empowerment of women.
    - Japan held the World Assembly for Women (WAW! 2016) on 13 and 14 December, 2016. Recommendations from each session were consolidated as “WAW! To Do 2016” (United Nations document A/71/829).
    - Japan has been working on to improve the environment of women through measures such as increasing the enrollment rate of girls, providing vocational-training, and improving water-supply systems in local areas.
    - Japan has promoted inclusion of women and women’s groups into political decision-making and peace processes.
    - Based on its “Sendai Cooperation Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction” (March 2015) and “Development Strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment” (May 2016), Japan has been promoting the leadership and participation of women in decision-making at all levels regarding disaster risk reduction, response and recovery.
    - Japan has been promoting Universal Health Coverage (UHC) thus improving women’s access to health services.
    - Japan has been steadily implementing its commitment to conduct human resource development programs for about 5,000 female officials and professionals and improve learning environment for about 50,000 female students between 2016 and 2018.
    For more information or specific examples of support provided, please see the attached document entitled Japan Progress Report 2017.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Gender ☑ People-centred approach

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑1D - Develop solutions with and for people

3E
Eliminate gaps in education for children, adolescents and young people

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Japan commits to provide support to ensure access to education to children, adolescents and youth and promote capacity building to enable adolescents and youth to be agents of positive transformation.
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • Achievements at a glance

    Japan has provided support to ensure access to education to children, adolescents and youth and promote capacity building to enable adolescents and youth to be agents of positive transformation through various means including bilateral assistance as well as contributions to international organizations such as UNICEF and GPE. Specifically, Japan has supported the initiatives of the Government of Pakistan for promoting Non-Formal Education targeting both youth and out of school children ensuring equivalency to existing formal education in terms of curriculum, educational materials, and assessment through the Advancing Quality Alternative Learning (AQAL) Project.

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3F - Enable adolescents and young people to be agents of positive transformation

4A
Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Japan commits not only to meet the urgent needs of people under humanitarian crises but to also contribute to building societies resilient to crises by strengthening the humanitarian and development nexus.


  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan commits to continue to address root causes of crises and support resilience building and prevention capacities of affected countries and communities. Japan will endeavor to provide support in continuum to those who are affected by engaging effective partnership with humanitarian actors and exploring flexibility in delivering assistance while upholding comparative advantages of its own, for example through enhanced engagement in the Solution Alliance and partnership with international organizations such as UNHCR, UNDP, WFP and OCHA, enhancement of the resilience of national health systems including through developing the capacity of health workers, awareness raising and dissemination of public health information and education at the community level, strengthening of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) of WHO, and so on.
  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan commits to continue to endeavor to Build Back Better during periods of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction so that societies do not simply recover to the same situation as that which existed prior to the disaster but rather overcome vulnerabilities based on lessons learned from the disaster and reconstruct toward becoming resilient to disasters. (ex. assistance to recovery and reconstruction from the Nepal Earthquake)
  • Financial
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan commits to continue to work with and through the host country and government, so that parallel channels of support are not created and local capacities are not impaired. In the belief that crisis management requires strong ownership of locals, Japan will continue to invest in local capacity building including for refugee-hosting countries and communities. Such support includes ongoing assistance such as Grass-roots Technical Assistance in Zambia, Assistance program for West Nile region in Northern Uganda, Yen loans in Turkey and Jordan, and so on.
  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan commits to put people at the center and supports capacity and institution building at national, community and regional level. For example, Japan provides various training programs to government officials, the private sector and civil society in disaster prone countries through governmental agencies, universities, private companies with Japanese experiences.
  • Capacity
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan, based on the concept of human security, commits to put people at the center and supports capacity and institution building at national, community and regional levels.
  • Capacity
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Commit to reinforce national and local leadership and capacities in managing disaster and climate-related risks through strengthened preparedness and predictable response and recovery arrangements.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Commit to increase investment in building community resilience as a critical first line of response, with the full and effective participation of women.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Commit to ensure regional and global humanitarian assistance for natural disasters complements national and local efforts.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • Achievements at a glance

    - Japan has advocated for and implemented concrete projects to strengthen the humanitarian-development nexus. Various projects including model projects focused on the humanitarian-development nexus in 9 countries in the Middle East and Africa have been in progress. Japan, together with Denmark, also serves as co-chairs of the Good Humanitarian Donorship “Humanitarian-Development Nexus Workstream,” and leads the discussion on this theme.
    - Japan has been working to address root causes of crises and support resilience building and prevention capacities of affected countries and communities.
    - Japan has continued to endeavor to “Build Back Better” during periods of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. For example, Japan dispatched a survey team to Ecuador to examine earthquake damage in June 2016.
    - Japan has worked with and through the host country and government and invested in local capacity building including for refugee-hosting countries and communities. For example, Japan has carried out a local capacity development project in Uganda since June 2016.
    - Japan continues to provide support to enhance national and local capacity building including through bilateral economic and social assistance. For example, Japan has launched a long-term human resource development program to foster young leaders in the Pacific Island Countries in August 2016 and it announced to invest in human resource development from 2016 to 2018 for African countries at TICAD VI in Nairobi in August 2016.
    - Japan, based on the concept of human security, has supported capacity and institution building at national, community and regional levels.
    For more information or specific examples of support provided, please see the attached document entitled Japan Progress Report 2017.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Disaster Risk Reduction ☑ People-centred approach ☑ Refugees

  • Specific initiatives

    ☑Commitment to Action: Transcending the humanitarian - development divide

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4C - Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides ☑ 5A - Invest in local capacities

4B
Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Japan commits to anticipate and prepare for crises before they happen, by investing in data and risk analysis as well as by supporting response capacity and institution building. For example, Japan supports WFP's vulnerability assessment and mapping (VAM) activities and capacity building through UNHCR eCentre, support for strengthening surveillance and laboratory capacity which contributes to prevent, detect and respond to health crisis including infectious disease outbreak, and so on.


  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan commits to contribute to achieving the goals and outcomes of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 through active participation of Japanese experts in the open - ended intergovernmental expert working group to determine indicators and terminology for the 7 global targets of the framework, including to substantially reduce the number of disaster mortalities and the number of affected people, and to substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people.
  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan commits to contribute to building disaster-resilient societies through provision of both non-material and material assistance by sharing Japan's expertise in and technologies for disaster risk reduction as well as through promoting partnership with a broader range of stakeholders. Such contributions include development of infrastructure that is resilient to disasters; sharing of technologies for disaster observation, prediction and warning; assistance for establishing laws, institutions and systems on disaster risk reduction; disaster education; assistance for ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster management (AHA Centre); and assistance for region-wide cooperation such as Sentinel Asia and Disaster Management Collaboration Dialogue.
  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • Japan commits to enhance partnership with the private sector and promote effective use of knowledge and technologies in order to provide sustainable solutions for people's stable and dignified lives. This includes utilization of the Japanese private sector's knowledge, skills and technologies, and so on.


  • Partnership
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan commits to raise awareness among the international community of the significance of preparedness for disasters through early warning, the utilization of indigenous knowledge and Build Back Better (BBB) as well as through the prompt dissemination of information at various occasions. In this regard, Japan will hold and support various events related to World Tsunami Awareness Day such as hosting the High School Students Summit on World Tsunami Awareness Day. Japan will continue to provide support such as introduction of early warning system, technical assistance on tsunami mitigation and prevention, and so on.
  • Advocacy
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • Japan commits to share information on the effectiveness of prior investment in disaster prevention and promote mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction in developing countries. Japan will also support respective countries in reducing economic damages which is a common goal of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the SDGs. Specifically, Japan will contribute to realization of comprehensive disaster risk reduction through capacity development of national disaster risk reduction agencies that will enable better coordination among local governments and other stakeholders in the planning of disaster risk reduction.


  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • Japan commits to steadily implement its commitments under the Sendai Cooperation Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction, which was announced by Prime Minister Abe in March 2015, as follows:

    1) Provide cooperation through effectively combining (i) non-material assistance, including assistance for establishing legislation, institutions and systems, as well as human resource development, (ii) material assistance, centering on the development of economic and social infrastructure, and (iii) global and region-wide cooperation.

    2) To carry out the above mentioned cooperation, provide 4 billion US dollars in total to the area related to disaster risk reduction and train 40 thousand government officials and local leaders to play a leading role in national efforts for disaster risk reduction and implementation of post-disaster Build Back Better from 2015 to 2018.


  • Financial
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Commit to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through the coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as other relevant strategies and programs of action, including the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
  • Commit to improve the understanding, anticipation and preparedness for disaster and climate-related risks by investing in data, analysis and early warning, and developing evidence-based decision-making processes that result in early action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • Achievements at a glance

    - Japan has extended support for improving anticipation and preparedness for crises by investing in data and risk analysis as well as by supporting response capacity and institution building. For example, in December 2016, Japan provided support for the Global Pandemic Supply Chain Network.
    - Japan has contributed to achieving the goals and outcomes of the Sendai Framework through active participation of Japanese experts in intergovernmental expert working group to determine indicators and terminology for the 7 global targets of the framework.
    - Japan has contributed to building disaster-resilient societies through provision of both non-material and material assistance and by sharing Japan’s expertise in and technologies for DRR as well as by promoting partnership.
    - Japan has provided support to enhance partnership with the private sector and promote effective use of knowledge and technologies in order to provide sustainable solutions for people’s stable and dignified lives.
    - Japan has promoted awareness-raising among the international community on DRR by sharing Japan’s experience as well as advocating the importance of DRR at various occasions.
    - Japan has continued to share information on the effectiveness of prior investment in disaster prevention and promote mainstreaming of DRR in developing countries. Japan also has supported respective countries in reducing economic damages.
    - Japan has been steadily implemented its commitments under the Sendai Cooperation Initiative, including the provision of USD 4 billion in total to the area related to DRR and training 40,000 government officials and local leaders between 2015 and 2018.
    For more information or specific examples of support provided, please see the attached document entitled Japan Progress Report 2017.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Disaster Risk Reduction ☑ Private sector

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4C - Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides ☑ 5B - Invest according to risk

4C
Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Japan commits not only to meet the urgent needs of people under humanitarian crises but to also contribute to building societies resilient to crises by strengthening the humanitarian and development nexus.


  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • Japan commits to implement the following five points in order to achieve better collaboration between humanitarian and development actors to find solutions for forcibly displaced persons as pointed out in the Joint Statement by the Government of Japan and the Solutions Alliance, which was issued at the WHS side event on "Strengthening the Humanitarian-Development Nexus": 1) Ensuring meaningful participation of the most affected - host and returnee communities and forcibly displaced people - in the pursuit of solutions to forced displacement; 2) Including forced displacement issues in national and local development plans, and in peacebuilding and recovery strategies; 3) Marshaling the comparative advantages of humanitarian and development actors for collective action through the promotion of institutional flexibility while respecting fundamental principles; 4)Developing a common vision through identification of complementary policies, and joint analysis that enables holistic planning; 5) Seeing the humanitarian-development nexus as an integral part of promoting peace and security.


  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • Japan commits to promote Universal Health Coverage (UHC) thus improving women's access to health services.


  • Advocacy
  • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Japan commits to strengthen the humanitarian and development nexus by implementing and promoting a comprehensive approach to address forced displacement by providing humanitarian assistance that meets the urgent needs of refugees and internally displaced persons as well as by providing comprehensive cooperation, including education and vocational and agricultural training to promote their self-reliance and the development of host communities. In this regard, Japan, in collaboration with international organizations, implements model projects in 9 countries including in the Middle East and Africa. Japan also carries out projects in countries such as Afghanistan and other countries in the Middle East and Africa that contribute to addressing both the humanitarian and longer-term development needs of these people. This support includes educational support for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, vocational training for Syrian refugee women in Jordan, vocational and agricultural training for Congolese and South Sudanese refugees in Uganda, and so on.
  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • Learning lessons from the Ebola outbreak and other public health crises in the past, Japan commits to contribute to strengthening of international response to public health emergencies including promoting the coordination between the humanitarian sector and health sector. Also, Japan is committed to promote Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which contributes to realizing the principle of "no one left behind", as well as enhancing prevention of and preparedness for public health emergencies, by health system strengthening including human resources development.


  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • Achievements at a glance

    - Japan has advocated for and implemented concrete projects to strengthen the humanitarian-development nexus. Various projects including model projects for the humanitarian-development nexus in 9 countries in the Middle East and Africa are in progress. Japan, together with Denmark, also serves as co-chairs of the Good Humanitarian Donorship “Humanitarian-Development Nexus Workstream” and remains committed to lead the discussion on this theme.
    - Japan has continued to implement the five points identified in the Joint Statement by the Government of Japan and the Solutions Alliance in order to achieve better collaboration between humanitarian and development actors to find solutions for forcibly displaced persons.
    - Japan has been promoting Universal Health Coverage (UHC) thus improving women’s access to health services. For example, Japan provided an ODA Loan to the “Universal Health Coverage Support Program” in Senegal in November 2016.
    - Japan has steadily implementing the measures in line with the initiatives announced at G7 Ise-Shima Summit on global health; that is to provide support totalling about USD 1.1 billion to international health organizations. In addition, Japan has been actively leading the discussion on promoting coordination between humanitarian and health sectors at various occasions such as the G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting in Kobe in 2016.
    For more information or specific examples of support provided, please see the attached document entitled Japan Progress Report 2017.

  • Specific initiatives

    ☑A Global Undertaking on Health in Crisis Settings ☑ Commitment to Action: Transcending the humanitarian - development divide

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3A - Reduce and address displacement ☑ 5D - Finance outcomes, not fragmentation: shift from funding to financing

5A
Invest in local capacities

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Japan commits to provide support to enhance national and local capacity building including through bilateral economic and social assistance.
  • Capacity
  • Invest in Humanity

  • Achievements at a glance

    Japan continues to provide support to enhance national and local capacity building including through bilateral economic and social assistance. For example, Japan has launched a long-term human resource development program, “Pacific-LEADS” to foster young leaders in Pacific Island Countries (PICs) in August 2016. Japan also announced its investment in human resource development for African countries at TICAD VI (Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development) held in Nairobi in August 2016 (e.g. training for about 20,000 experts, policymakers and managers for measures against infectious diseases; vocational training for 50,000 people; training on climate change countermeasures for 4,000 people, etc.)

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3F - Enable adolescents and young people to be agents of positive transformation ☑ 4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

5B
Invest according to risk

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Japan commits to strengthen measures to address displacement caused by natural disaster, climate change and public health emergency, through for example prior investment in disaster risk reduction, early warning, preparedness and implementation of "build back better" after a disaster occurs. Japan has provided support in countries including in the Asia-Pacific region and in Africa as well as through the Green Climate Fund.


  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind Invest in Humanity

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through the coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as other relevant strategies and programs of action, including the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
  • Commit to invest in risk management, preparedness and crisis prevention capacity to build the resilience of vulnerable and affected people.
  • Invest in Humanity

  • Achievements at a glance

    Japan has provided support for disaster risk reduction, early warning, preparedness, and measures against health emergencies as well as climate change effects to address displacement caused by natural disasters, climate change and public health emergencies. For example, Japan decided to extend the Grant Aid for the “Project for Construction of the Pacific Climate Change Center” in July 2016. Japan also continues to make contributions to related international organizations and funds such as ISDR, OCHA, WHO, the Green Climate Fund, etc.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Disaster Risk Reduction

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4B - Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

5D
Finance outcomes, not fragmentation: shift from funding to financing

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Japan commits to enhance better collaboration between humanitarian and development funding in order to diminish the needs.


  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity
  • Japan commits to make use of various financial schemes to promote better disaster response and recovery. For example, Japan provided a Post Disaster Stand-by Loan to the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.
  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity
  • Japan commits to work on promoting and increasing the predictability and flexibility of humanitarian funding as well as on ensuring greater efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency thereof.
  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to enable coherent financing that avoids fragmentation by supporting collective outcomes over multiple years, supporting those with demonstrated comparative advantage to deliver in context.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
  • Commit to broaden and adapt the global instruments and approaches to meet urgent needs, reduce risk and vulnerability and increase resilience, without adverse impact on humanitarian principles and overall action (as also proposed in Round Table on "Changing Lives").
  • Invest in Humanity

  • Achievements at a glance

    - Japan has advocated for and implemented concrete projects to strengthen the humanitarian-development nexus by making use of various ODA schemes as well as enhancing partnership with both humanitarian and development actors.
    - Japan has been making use of various financial schemes to promote better disaster response and recovery. For example, Japan provided an ODA Loan to the “Disaster Risk Management Enhancement Project” in Bangladesh in June 2016.
    - Japan has been working on promoting and increasing the predictability and flexibility of humanitarian funding as well as on ensuring greater efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency thereof. Japan has contributed to Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). In terms of ensuring transparency of funding, Japan has reported its humanitarian assistance to the Financial Tracking Service as well as to OECD-DAC. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published ODA data of 2014 and 2015 in the IATI XML format in September 2016 in order to strengthen transparency and accountability of Japan’s ODA projects.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Central Emergency Response Fund

  • Specific initiatives

    ☑Commitment to Action: Transcending the humanitarian - development divide

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4C - Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides ☑ 5E - Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

5E
Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Japan commits to promote partnership with a broader range of stakeholders so as to widen and diversify the resource base for investing in humanity.
  • Partnership
  • Invest in Humanity

  • Japan commits to providing an assistance package of about US$ 6 billion for the Middle East region between 2016 and 2018 including human resource development programs for about 20,000 people. Furthermore, Japan will dispatch Japan Team for Refugees and Community (J-TRaC) to refugee camps by JICA and increase the number of Syrian students in Japan. Japan has also recently committed to contributing US$ 50 million and a maximum of US$ 900 million in yen loans over the next 5 years for the World Bank's new financing initiative to support the Middle East and North Africa.


  • Financial Contribution
  • Leave No One Behind Invest in Humanity

  • Japan commits to share good practices of bilateral cooperation.


  • Operational
  • Invest in Humanity
  • Japan endorses the commitments under the Grand Bargain.
  • Policy
  • Invest in Humanity

  • Achievements at a glance

    - Japan has been promoting partnership with a broader range of stakeholders so as to widen and diversify the resource base for investing in humanity.
    - Japan has been steadily implementing its commitments to providing an assistance package of about USD 6 billion for the Middle East region between 2016 and 2018 including human resource development programs for about 20,000 people. Japan has dispatched the Japan Team for Refugees and Community (J-TRaC) to refugee camps by JICA. Preparation for receiving Syrian students in Japan is underway. In addition, part of the disbursement to the World Bank’s Concessional Financing Facility (CFF) has already been made.
    - Japan has shared good practices of bilateral cooperation at various occasions as well as through media and social media, etc.
    - Japan has actively participated to the Grand Bargain process and been serving as a co-convener of the Work Stream of “Reduce Duplication and Management Cost”.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑People-centred approach ☑ Refugees

  • Specific initiatives

    ☑Grand Bargain

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3A - Reduce and address displacement ☑ 5A - Invest in local capacities

Attachments