The Japan-ESCAP Cooperation Fund was established in 1977 by ESCAP and the Government of
Japan with a view to fostering regional cooperation for development in Asia and the
Pacific through the provision of technical assistance to developing countries. Over the
past twenty years, various subregional and regional technical assistance projects have
been implemented to support developing member and associate member Governments of the
Commission within the framework of JECF.
While many developmental problems faced by countries in the ESCAP region are better
addressed through bilateral assistance, there are certain issues which are more
effectively dealt with through ESCAP's technical assistance at the subregional and
regional levels. The Government of Japan fully recognizes this benefit, taking into
consideration the prevailing conditions and development needs of ESCAP member and
associate member Governments in the region.
In 1998, an evaluation of five selected JECF projects was undertaken jointly by the ESCAP
secretariat and the Government of Japan. Its purpose was to determine the extent to which
those projects had achieved their respective objectives and to assess their impact on the
beneficiaries.
As a member of the evaluation team, I had the opportunity to participate in the Final
Workshop on the Beijing Pilot Project on the Promotion of Non-handicapping Environments
for Persons with Disabilities and Older Persons, held in Beijing in May 1998. This
Workshop was a concluding activity of the project entitled "Promotion of
non-handicapping environments for disabled and elderly persons in the Asia-Pacific
region". I also made a field visit to the Beijing pilot project site, where, among
other access features, braille blocks had been installed for people with visual
impairments and kerb cuts for wheelchair users. At the Workshop, I held discussions with
senior policy makers and NGO leaders who had been directly involved in the implementation
of similar pilot projects at Bangkok and New Delhi. The outcome of the pilot projects,
shared at the Workshop, had an inspiring effect on the participants drawn from 18 cities
in the region.
This website highlights the achievements of the five evaluated JECF projects. It provides
a glimpse of the technical cooperation activities undertaken by ESCAP with the financial
assistance of the Government of Japan. It is the sincere wish of the Government of Japan
to continue its close collaboration with ESCAP in the field of technical assistance into
the twenty-first century.
Mutsuo Mabuchi
