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On December 7, 2023 (Thursday), the 9th Study Session for Municipalities and Other Parties Involved in Water Supply Business (hereinafter referred to as “the Study Session”) was held online. The supply of safe tap water, of which Japan is proud, is maintained by the know-how and efforts of local governments, etc. Their cooperation is indispensable for international cooperation in the field of water supply. The purpose of this study session is to share various examples of international cooperation in the field of water supply by local governments, their innovations, lessons learned, and trends in international cooperation at home and abroad, in order to further improve the effectiveness of international cooperation by local governments and to promote their participation in international cooperation. The purpose of the conference is to promote cooperation among related parties and synergistic effects among cooperative projects.
Since the first meeting in FY2013, this study group has been held regularly throughout Japan in Kansai, Chubu, Yokohama, Kyushu, and Tokyo. This year, a total of 110 participants from local governments, related organizations, and JICA attended.
In the study session, JICA, local governments, and related organizations shared various examples of initiatives in the water supply sector, and in group discussions, participants engaged in lively discussions on “measures to promote international cooperation by local governments.
Contents
- information sharing from JICA Global Environment Department
The Water Resources Group, Global Environment Department of JICA explained progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), revision of the Development Cooperation Outline, JICA’s cooperation policy, and trends in JICA projects (introduction of projects, holding of Asia and Africa Executive Forum, knowledge creation and sharing).
- status of various JICA projects, introduction of case studies by local governments, etc., and various approaches and innovations
JICA gave a presentation on JICA’s grassroots technical cooperation, private sector partnership projects, and trends in issue-specific training. This was followed by presentations by local governments and related organizations on case studies of their projects, innovations, and lessons learned.
As an example of grass-roots technical cooperation, the Water and Sewerage Bureau of Kawasaki City gave a presentation on “Efforts to prevent underground water leakage in Makassar City, Indonesia,” future challenges and directions, and how to effectively utilize Kawasaki’s know-how and initiatives.
The Nagoya City Water and Sewerage Bureau introduced the “Project for Strengthening Water and Sewerage Earthquake Countermeasures in Mexico City” and presented the final results of the project. They also shared the city’s efforts to promote understanding of international cooperation.
In the area of private-sector partnership projects, JICA gave an overview of the “SME and SDG Business Support Program,” citing examples and requesting cooperation from local governments and encouraging local companies to apply.
The following three presentations were made on issue-specific training projects.
JICA Yokohama and Yokohama City Waterworks Bureau presented the implementation status and issues of the “Training of Urban Waterworks Engineers in Africa,” JICA Okinawa and the Water Resources Group of the Global Environment Department presented the implementation status of the “Subject-Specific Training in the Water Supply Sector in Okinawa” and a case study of the development from subject-specific training to dispatching experts, and JICA Kansai and the Water Resources Group of the Global Environment Department presented the “Case Study of Cooperation between Subject-Specific Training and Foreign Students. JICA Kansai and the Global Environment Department’s Water Resources Group presented “Case Studies of Cooperation between Subject-Specific Training and Foreign Students.
As for “Measures to Promote International Cooperation by Local Governments,” Yokohama City Waterworks Bureau presented “Public Relations of International Contribution Activities to Citizens,” introducing a project commemorating the 50th anniversary of the start of international contributions and the results in helping citizens understand international contributions. Kitakyushu Waterworks Bureau presented a case study on how to develop public relations in line with current trends, using the “25th Japan Water Grand Prize,” which was awarded the “Grand Prize” in 2023, as an opportunity to “publicize overseas projects.
- group discussion
The participants were divided into three groups for discussion on the theme of “Measures to Promote International Cooperation by Local Governments,” with each group presenting the results of their discussions at the end of the session.
Many of the participants expressed the opinion that it is very important to promote the understanding of not only the department in charge but also the entire entity, and that efforts should be continued to gain the understanding of the public.
The need for other municipalities to share their solutions and innovations to the problems they are facing was recognized once again, and opinions were expressed on the merits of horizontal connections and collaboration with neighboring municipalities. Some participants suggested that a study session such as this one would be an ideal opportunity for horizontal connections and information sharing.
Question and answer session
Questions such as effective technologies of Japanese companies for local issues, differences between Japanese and Mexico City water systems, and what public relations activities are particularly effective among measures taken by local governments to promote international cooperation were asked and answered with experiences and case studies from the presenters and other local governments.
- future efforts
After the study session, we received comments from participants such as “It was very meaningful as there are few opportunities to exchange information with other local governments,” and “It was helpful for our future efforts toward international cooperation. Some participants also expressed their expectations for future study sessions, saying, “It would be good to have a forum where municipalities that are thinking of starting overseas operations can also participate,” and “I would like to see the discussion time be longer.
JICA’s cooperation policy in the water supply sector is modeled on the efforts of Japanese local governments in the water supply business, and opportunities such as this study session to strengthen cooperation with local governments and others are extremely important learning opportunities for JICA.
We will continue to strengthen cooperation with domestic local governments and related organizations, which are important partners in international cooperation, to further develop international cooperation that takes advantage of the characteristics and strengths of each region.
Group photo 1
Group photo 2
© Source JICA
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