A panel of Japan's Foreign Ministry has begun discussions on utilizing private-sector funds for official development assistance (ODA). The ministry aims to leverage its ODA budget to support private projects that contribute to development in developing countries. The panel, chaired by Izumi Ono and consisting of 10 experts, plans to submit a proposal to Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in the summer. Kamikawa emphasized the growing involvement of private-sector companies in efforts to achieve a sustainable society and expressed the intention to explore ways to mobilize private funds using ODA as a catalyst [37821b77].