Japan has been providing technical cooperation on environmental issues in many developing countries, but it was in Thailand that Japan started its cooperation in earnest, as the country’s rapid urbanization and industrialization from the 1960s brought serious environmental problems in exchange for economic development. At the time, however, Thailand lacked all the elements necessary to solve environmental problems, including legal systems, technology, human resources, and funds. It was under these circumstances that in the early 1980s, Mr. Monchip Tabkanon, Director of the Testing and Research Division of the Environment Agency of Thailand, who later became known as the “mother of Japan-Thailand environmental cooperation,” came to Japan as a JICA trainee. Her enthusiasm for environmental cooperation between Japan and Thailand was sparked by her visits to various Japanese institutions, including the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), where she gained knowledge.
JICA’s Sadako Ogata Peace and Development Institute has published the “Project History” series, a book series that looks back on JICA’s past projects and analyzes their trajectories and achievements. The 29th volume in this series, “Japan-Thailand Environmental Cooperation: 35 Years of People-to-People Ties,” has been published. This book introduces the 35-year history of Japan-Thailand environmental cooperation, focusing on people-to-people ties and summarizing the growth of both the Japanese and Thai parties involved. The three former JICA experts who wrote the book emphasize that “it is the relationship of trust between people that determines the success or failure of a project. The humanistic activities of the “old generation of experts” that do not fit into the framework of project evaluation provide us with a great deal of insight into the nature of development cooperation.
A seminar will be held on May 31, 2022 to celebrate the publication of the book. After an introduction of the book by a representative of the book’s author group, a panel discussion by various stakeholders and a roundtable discussion with young experts will be held on the theme of building, maintaining, and passing on trust in international cooperation. Project History “Japan-Thailand Environmental Cooperation: 35 Years of People-to-People Ties” Program ■Opening Remarks: Akio Takahara, Director, Sadako Ogata Peace and Development Institute, JICA
Book Introduction: Munehiro Fukuda, author of Project History
■Panel Discussion “Sharing and Passing on Trust: Perspectives from Various Stakeholders” (Language: Japanese)
Moderator :
Ichiro Adachi, Researcher, Sadako Ogata Peace and Development Institute, JICA
Panelists :
Soichiro Seki, Author of Project History / President, Japan Industrial Waste Management Promotion Center
Hideo Tanaka Sub-Manager, Osaka Prefectural Global Warming Prevention Activity Promotion Center, Environment Team, Osaka Prefectural Midori Public Corporation
Kiwao Kadokami Professor, School of International Environmental Engineering and Graduate School of International Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu
■Roundtable Discussion “Building Trust in Japan-Thailand Environmental Cooperation: A Young Expert’s Perspective” (Language: English)
Moderator :
Senior Research Engineer, Water Resources Team 2, Water Resources Group, Global Environment Department, JICA
Speakers:.
First Director of the Monchip Tabucanon Research and Training Center (ERTC), Director of the Pollution Control Bureau of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Director of the Environmental Quality Improvement Bureau, and Assistant Secretary
Decha Pimupis Project CP for Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR), Ministry of Industry, Director, Department of Promotion of Public Participation, Ministry of Industry.
Ryo Takahashi Team Leader, Overseas Environmental Business Division, X Urban Research Institute
© Source JICA
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