Abstract
A total of 87 major Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects for developing countries in the area of material cycle and waste management that have been implemented by Japan over the past 30 years were reviewed. Results show that overall international cooperation has evolved from the initial stage of realizing appropriate collection-disposal type municipal solid waste management to the next stage of establishing a sound material-cycle type integrated solid waste management system through introduction of the 3Rs. In the future, in cooperation with global efforts to reach SDGs, well-organized international cooperation in the area of material cycle and waste management is required for achieving the seven targets of Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). These are basically extensions of what has been experienced and developed by previous ODA projects and international cooperation. The approach to Goal 11 has been experienced in a pre-engaged manner and is being implemented proactively, but the approach to Goal 12 is still in its seed stage as far as moving towards a sound material-cycle type integrated waste management and a circular economy. It is necessary to grasp the seven targets of Goals 11 and 12 as cross-cutting issues and deal with them in an integrated manner. To achieve this task, new cooperation and coordination efforts with the private sector in resource circulation and the establishment of a circular economy are required for ODA projects, in addition to support for a capacity development of the public sector based on past cooperation experience.
