JICA USA Newsletter May/June 2011

Transcription

1 JICA USA Newsletter May/June 2011 The JICA USA Newsletter is a bi-monthly publication which seeks to provide information on JICA s activities in Washington, D.C. and around the world. If you are interested in receiving this electronic newsletter, please contact jicaus-newsletter@jica.go.jp to be added to our mailing list. In this issue: JICA s Assistance to Afghanistan: Beyond the Transition JICA co-hosts MDGs follow-up meeting in Tokyo JICA launches study on lessons learned from the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami At TICAD follow-up meeting, participants pledge to pursue sustainable and inclusive development in Africa JICA helps to identify energy efficiencies in Brazil s water and sanitation sector Announcement: Brookings, JICA, and KOICA release publication on aid effectiveness Announcement: JICA USA publishes report on South-South Cooperation best practices Message from Chief Representative Nakazawa: Japan will host the 2012 World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings JICA s Assistance to Afghanistan: Beyond the Transition By Takeshi Watanabe, former Senior Deputy Resident Representative, JICA Afghanistan Office In the final JICA s Assistance to Afghanistan column, Takeshi Watanabe presents JICA s vision for Afghanistan after the withdrawal of international security forces. We have reported on JICA's assistance to Afghanistan over the past year for the JICA USA Newsletter, and this is our last article for the time being. For this issue, we would like to discuss the hottest topic right now in Afghanistan the Transition. There is wide agreement that the Transition is the most important policy challenge in Afghanistan this year. By Transition, we mean that control of security, which has been maintained by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will be handed over to the Afghan National Security Forces. There are various opinions over the Transition. Some say it is because NATO member states are seeking a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan due to public opinion in their countries. However, we believe that it is a necessary process for Afghanistan to be a truly sovereign state. The important point is not only the success of the Transition itself, but 1

2 also the implementation of policy measures needed to foster sustainable development beyond the Transition. For this reason, we at JICA think that the Transition by 2014 is not a goal but a true start for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. As the World Bank has highlighted in its analysis, Afghanistan s economy is highly dependent on both the services and demand generated by ISAF and the donor community in the country. After the Transition, declines in GDP and economic growth are likely because of the changing role and scaling down of ISAF and the reduction of international assistance. Once JICA will assist Afghanistan to promote rural development in four primary areas: administration, water resources management, agricultural production, and the diversification of farm systems. JICA s Kabul Metropolitan Development Cooperation program sets out an ambitious plan to help tackle some of the Kabul area s challenges in transportation, water and sanitation, and urban planning. international forces withdraw, development assistance, sustainable economic growth, and job creation will be critically important for Afghanistan. At JICA we are trying to produce a vision of reconstruction and development beyond the Transition. With this goal in mind, we support Kabul s urban development as an engine for sustainable economic growth and subsequent job creation. We continue to make steady progress on our Kabul Metropolitan Development effort. We have finished the project planning stages, and we will start road construction shortly to link Kabul City with the northeast Dehsabz district. We have also focused heavily on agriculture and rural development to support the more than 70 percent of population who are living in rural parts of the country. To achieve this objective, we have started a new technical cooperation project on capacity building for community development with the Ministry of Rural Reconstruction and Development (MRRD). This project aims to develop the capacity of staff in the MRRD to administer the national rural development plan that is currently being managed by consultants. However, it goes without saying that all of these efforts can only realized if there is a certain level of security. It is our sincere hope that the security situation will stabilize as soon as possible so we are able to start full-fledged reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. 2

3 JICA co-hosts MDGs follow-up meeting in Tokyo By Vanessa Arness, Program Officer On June 2-3, JICA and the Japanese government, along with the UN and the World Bank, co-hosted a MDGs follow-up meeting in Tokyo. The meeting served as an opportunity to share best practices, build partnerships, and maintain momentum to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by With less than five years remaining to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Japanese government and JICA, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Bank convened a meeting in Tokyo at the beginning of June to discuss progress made, to encourage further efforts, and to renew political will to meet the MDG targets. Although much has been achieved by the global community over the past decade, there is still much left to be done to halve global poverty and hunger, promote primary education, empower women, reduce infant and maternal mortality rates, halt the spread of infectious diseases, and increase access to water and sanitation by On June 2-3, high level delegations from more than 100 countries, international organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector gathered in Tokyo to share lessons learned and to discuss more effective measures to meet the MDGs. In his opening statement at the conference, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan stated, I strongly hope that you will make the most of this opportunity to focus international efforts on the period remaining before 2015 and to make significant contributions to attaining the MDGs. Over two days, meeting participants shared ideas to accelerate progress on the MDGs. Over the course of two days, meeting participants discussed the obstacles to reaching the MDGs and recommended a variety approaches to address these challenges. The participants focused particularly on maternal and child health, education, climate change, and food security. At two of the break-out sessions, JICA shared some of its best practices. In one presentation, JICA highlighted its work in Niger to assist the government to identify bottlenecks, propose effective solutions, and develop an action plan to address the utilization, maintenance, and management of lakes and wells. JICA s approach enabled the Government of Niger to produce an action plan that promoted coordination and streamlined implementation. In a side event organized by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), JICA introduced a case study from its work in Tanzania. In Tanzania, JICA supported health systems strengthening by building managerial capacities, enhancing 3

4 monitoring and evaluation capabilities, and improving information-sharing between local and regional levels of the health system. Overall, the MDGs follow-up meeting served as an opportunity to encourage sustained and concerted efforts to achieve the MDGs. JICA, for its part, remains deeply committed to do its part. Despite the massive devastation caused by the recent March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Prime Minister Kan stated, Although it has been only a short while since the Great East Japan Earthquake, I am pleased that we are able to hold today's conference as originally planned. I hope you will take this decision as the expression of Japan's resolve to continue playing an active role in the international endeavor to achieve the MDGs. For more information about JICA s MDGs strategy and activities, please have a look at our report, JICA s Approach to the Millennium Development Goals, which can be found online at: 4

5 JICA launches study on lessons learned from the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami By Mariko Schmitz, Program Officer JICA has launched a study to obtain lessons from the ongoing disaster and recovery process in Japan and to establish a website dedicated to sharing these lessons with the international community. It is assumed that disaster preparedness saved tens of thousands of lives during the magnitude of 9.0 earthquake and record-breaking tsunami that devastated Japan s northeast coast in March. JICA has launched a study to prove it. JICA has initiated a project entitled, "The Study on Effective Countermeasures to Earthquake and Tsunami Disasters: Lessons Learned from the Disaster and Recovery. With this project, JICA intends to obtain lessons from the ongoing disaster and recovery process in Japan and to establish a website dedicated to publishing these lessons. Japan is widely known and praised for its disaster management, and the villages in the Tohoku region of Japan are experienced tsunami survivors. Fifty one years ago, these areas were hit by a tsunami generated by the 1960 Valdiva earthquake in Chile, which, at magnitude 9.5, is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded to date. In response to that disaster, which killed over 100 people, Japan began implementing structural measures and evacuation strategies to mitigate tsunami damage. As a result of these efforts, the coastal towns were known as some of the areas best prepared against tsunamis. Their preparations included sea walls, hazard mapping, early warning systems, and evacuation exercises. When disaster struck again this past March, it became obvious that the tsunami overwhelmed structural protections, but the people were well-educated in how to respond. Sea walls were unable to protect coastal villages from the tsunami which struck the northeast of Japan on March 11. Source: Toni, Kamaishi City At the World Bank Annual Meetings this spring, Japanese Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, Rintaro Tamaki, recounted an anecdote about the positive effects of Japan s disaster preparedness. In Kamaishi City, early warning systems in the town s middle school and high school were disabled by the earthquake. Nevertheless, by relying on their emergency response education, students began evacuating promptly and voluntarily to their predetermined evacuation site. When they reached the designated location, they discovered that the cliff behind the site had partially collapsed. Some students advised teachers that they should move to another spot located on higher ground. This judgment saved all their lives. The originally designated evacuation site was swallowed by the tsunami. 5

6 Vice Minister Tamaki noted that emergency evacuation training proved vital to saving many lives, and he commented that the lesson learned from this story is not only to develop the necessary infrastructure, but also to mainstream the importance of disaster prevention measures in the mindset of both policy makers and citizens. Over the course of a year, JICA s study intends to collect data from government institutions and academia and to review disaster management plans to evaluate the efficacy of disaster preparations and to After the earthquake, students followed the procedures they had learned in evacuation drills. Source: Research Center for Disaster Prevention, Gunma University. determine which interventions are the most cost-effective. The study will inform JICA s disaster management strategy and activities as it assists developing countries to prepare for and to respond to natural disasters. The study will also provide recommendations about how JICA can learn from Japan s reconstruction process to help developing countries build back better. Furthermore the study is an opportunity to share with the international community the lessons learned from the Great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami to further contribute to international efforts to strengthen disaster risk management capabilities. For more information about the study, please visit: 6

7 At TICAD follow-up meeting, participants pledge to pursue sustainable and inclusive development in Africa By Marvin Fernández, Program Officer On May 1-2, the Japanese government, UN, UNDP, and the AU Commission co-organized the third TICAD IV Ministerial follow-up meeting in Dakar, Senegal. At the meeting, the participants discussed how to promote inclusive and sustainable growth, accelerate progress on the MDGs, and enhance cooperation on environmental challenges in Africa. Representatives of African nations, Japan, the United Nations, the World Bank and the African Union Commission, along with delegates from other partner countries, international and regional organizations, the private sector, and civil society convened in Dakar, Senegal at the beginning of May for the third follow-up ministerial meeting of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV). Japan announced that it would increase its disaster risk management and climate change cooperation with African countries at the meeting. TICAD IV is the most recent event in a series of international conferences on African development promoted by the Japanese government to focus global attention on the continent s challenges and needs. The first TICAD conference dates back to 1993, with subsequent meetings organized once every five years. In May 2008, TICAD IV was held under the theme Towards a vibrant Africa: A continent of hope and opportunity. The meeting produced the Yokohama Declaration, which outlined four main pillars for advancing African development, namely accelerating growth, achieving the MDGs, consolidating peace, and addressing environmental and climate change issues. At the recent follow-up meeting held in Dakar, meeting participants discussed each of these pillars and committed to pursuing inclusive and sustainable growth, accelerating progress on the MDGs, and enhancing cooperation on environmental challenges. At the meeting, Japan pledged to share the experiences gained in the aftermath of the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster. 7

8 In his opening remarks at the conference, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto stated, Japan and Africa are alike in that both face the fury and rages of nature We will convey to African countries and share with them the valuable knowledge gained in tackling this unprecedented disaster, and put more focus on this aspect in our assistance to Africa. To demonstrate its commitment to promoting disaster preparedness, the Japanese government announced its plan to convene a seminar during 2011 on the theme of "Creating Resilient Economies and Societies" and to invite officials from African governments who are responsible for disaster risk management to Japan. During the conference, Japan also announced its intention to strengthen policy dialogue on climate change with African countries. Japan believes that it can make a substantial contribution to tackling climate change and to sustainable growth in Africa by making use of its advanced energy-efficient and environment-related technologies and expertise. In order to enhance climate change cooperation, meeting participants agreed to jointly develop a Low-Carbon Growth and Sustainable Development Strategy that lays out a shared medium-and long-term vision for green growth in Africa. To promote this task, the participants decided to organize meetings over the course of the year and to produce an interim report for the fourth TICAD ministerial follow-up meeting in Despite the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Japan emphasized that it will fulfill the pledges that it made in 2008 to double its development assistance to Africa by According to Foreign Minister Matsumoto, Japan is determined to tackle global challenges even more actively than before as a leading member of the international community. For more information on the outcomes of the third TICAD follow-up meeting, please see the official communiqué: 8

9 JICA helps to identify energy efficiencies in Brazil s water and sanitation sector By Stace Nicholson, Program Officer Since early spring, JICA USA has sponsored a study to help the Basic Sanitation Company of the State of Sao Paulo (SABESP) identify ways to improve its energy savings and to build the company s capacity to develop its own comprehensive energy efficiency planning framework. Energy efficiency is quickly becoming a matter of global urgency due to the shrinking stock of readily available fossil fuels and the increasingly apparent environmental harm they cause. While much discussion nowadays focuses on national energy savings initiatives, sub-national governments and utility companies can have an immediate and lasting impact in this area by targeting facilities under their control. In particular, water treatment and pumping stations represent major energy savings opportunities given the huge amounts of electricity they need to operate. With over 4,500 facilities, perhaps nowhere is this opportunity greater than within the system of the Basic Sanitation Company of the State of Sao Paulo (SABESP) in Brazil. To promote energy efficiency and to help scale up the development impact of previous Japanese ODA loan projects carried out with SABESP, JICA hired a team of experts from the U.S. to develop an interim feasibility study that will outline the most cost-effective equipment upgrades and process modifications that the company can implement along the various steps of its operations. For SABESP, this will be a crucial part of its mid- and long-term strategy to cope with the mounting pressures to expand its coverage area amidst rising energy costs. The study will also help SABESP learn how to compile baseline energy analyses by eliciting the company s assistance in collecting and evaluating data from some of The study will look for energy savings at SABESP s water treatment plants and pumping stations. the targeted water treatment and pumping stations. Through such hands-on involvement in the analytical process, SABESP will develop its own capacity to measure and monitor energy consumption levels and to produce a detailed master plan for energy efficiency improvements. To maximize the knowledge gained from this study, JICA and SABESP will co-host a training workshop in Sao Paulo in early July to raise awareness among the executive and technical staff of other Brazilian water and sanitation companies about the importance of adopting a long-term approach to find energy savings. It will also share insights on applying cost-benefit analysis to potential investments, as well as best practices for establishing and understanding energy use patterns for water treatment and pumping stations. 9

10 As this technical cooperation project demonstrates, JICA is eager to work with its development partners in Latin America to help the region satisfy the growing demands for public services while still protecting the environment. To learn more about JICA s activities with SABESP, please refer to the following websites: &pub=t&par=not&db=&docidpai=91c33b4b9535f b8&docid= BA3EC1FB832574CC0078E48C 10

11 Announcement: Brookings, JICA, and KOICA release publication on aid effectiveness JICA, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Brookings Institution have published a book entitled, Catalyzing Development: A New Vision for Aid. The book offers policy recommendations to deliver aid better and seeks to inform the discussions at the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which will take place this November in Busan, South Korea. The publication contributes to the ongoing debate on aid effectiveness. As preparations intensify for the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which is to take place in South Korea in late November, a new publication jointly edited by JICA, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the Brookings Institution has been released to facilitate knowledge-sharing and priority-setting ahead of the meeting. The book, entitled Catalyzing Development: A New Vision for Aid, analyzes some of the most salient transformations in the international aid architecture since the Paris Declaration in 2005 including the rise of non-traditional donors, the threat posed to developing countries by climate change, and the issue of state fragility. It contains contributions from nearly 20 experts and researchers from around the globe, including Brookings Vice President Kemal Dervis, Professor Ngaire Woods of Oxford University, and Mr. Sam Worthington of InterAction, and it offers a comprehensive look at new players, new challenges, and new approaches to development. Scholars from the JICA Research Institute (JICA-RI) have contributed to two chapters in the book. A chapter by researchers Keiichi Tsunekawa, Shinichi Takeuchi, and Ryutaro Murotani provides a comparative analysis of Rwanda, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Afghanistan and offers policy recommendations for development work in fragile and conflict-affected states. In another chapter, a JICA-RI research team led by Director Akio Hosono discusses the ever-growing importance of capacity development. The research team examines three specific case studies in Indonesia, Niger and Bangladesh and outlines lessons learned to strengthen capacity building efforts. Catalyzing Development has been published by the Brookings Institution Press. To learn more about the publication, please visit: 11

12 Announcement: JICA USA publishes report on South-South Cooperation best practices JICA USA has published the report entitled, Case Studies in Capacity Development in the Power Sector with South-South Cooperation (SSC) Components on its website. The report examines the best practices and lessons learned from SSC capacity development initiatives promoted by JICA and the World Bank in Lao PDR and Zambia. Despite recent and growing interest in South-South Cooperation, there has not been a great deal of research to understand how it contributes to capacity development. To answer this question, JICA commissioned a study to examine best practices and lessons learned from power sector capacity development and SSC initiatives implemented by JICA and the World Bank in Lao PDR and Zambia. The study team visited Lao PDR and Zambia to examine the effects of SSC capacity development. The study also explores opportunities for knowledge exchange between Asia and Africa and provides suggestions for how to increase collaboration among donors for SSC capacity development initiatives. JICA USA has published this report on our website. To access the full report, please visit: 12

13 Message from Chief Representative Nakazawa: Japan will host the 2012 World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings Japan will host the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in 2012 for the first time in 48 years. Chief Representative Nakazawa describes Japan s transformation from an aid recipient to one of the world s largest donors since the last time the country hosted these meetings. The World Bank and the IMF have decided to hold their 2012 Annual Meetings in Japan. It will be the first time in 48 years that Japan has hosted these meetings. Looking back on the last half-century, Japan s association with development aid has changed significantly. Mr. Keiichiro Nakazawa, JICA USA s Chief Representative The 1964 Annual Meetings were held when Japan was one of the biggest recipients of World Bank loans. Japan had been utilizing these loans since 1953 to develop power, industry, and transportation systems. It was almost a month after the 1964 Meetings, and ten days before the Tokyo Olympic Games, when the first bullet train, or Shinkansen, partially financed by the Bank, started running between Tokyo and Nagoya. Japan in those days was in the midst of high economic growth. The Income-Doubling Plan, started in 1961, successfully achieved its goal in seven years, three years earlier than its original ten-year target. Born in 1964, I witnessed dramatic changes in my family and community life during my childhood. TV switched from black-and-white to color one day, and roads to and from my elementary school were paved another day. Japanese people believed that tomorrow would be better than today, as many people in emerging countries do so right now. Japan graduated from World Bank loans in 1966, and it has gradually become one of the biggest contributors to the Bank and the IMF. Japan fully repaid all of its Bank loans in 1990, the same summer that I worked as a summer intern at the Bank and promoted Japan-World Bank co-financing. Next year, in 1991, Japan became the biggest ODA provider in the world and kept that position until the U.S. regained it after 9/11. As 9/11 dramatically changed the American stance on foreign assistance, 3/11 has changed and will change the Japanese stance on it. It is extremely moving that more than 150 countries and regions kindly expressed their intention to extend assistance to Japan following the tragic earthquake and tsunami. This pledge includes $50,000 in aid from one of impoverished Afghanistan s most violent provinces (quoted from AP) of Kandahar where Japan has supported their efforts to promote peace and development. Despite the disappointing suggestion by the leading party to cut the general account Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget by 20 percent, it was very encouraging that many voices from the Diet, mass media, NGOs, and general public expressed their 13

14 opposition to the proposal. As a result, though the general account ODA budget was cut by 50 billion yen (equivalent to about 620 million dollars) under the first supplemental budget, the scale of bilateral ODA operations in the form of concessional loans, technical assistance, and grant assistance remains almost intact. Prime Minister Kan, in his op-ed to the International Herald Tribune, said that the best way for Japan to reciprocate the strong kizuna ( bonds of friendship ) extended to us would be to continue our contribution to the development of the international community. Finance Minister Noda, explaining why he wants to host the 2012 World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Japan, stated that the meetings would provide a very good opportunity to allow world leaders of finance, monetary policy and development to witness Japan s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. I firmly believe that Japan should make the 2012 Meetings a grand occasion to proclaim Japan s stronger commitment to dynamic and inclusive global development. 14