Since 1975, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has awarded the JICA President’s Award to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the social and economic development of developing countries through JICA cooperation. Starting this year, the name of the award has been changed to the JICA International Cooperation Award, and the recipients will be selected by external committee members. This year, the first edition of the award was presented to three individuals and organizations that have made outstanding achievements.
On November 8, the 1st JICA International Cooperation Award ceremony was held at JICA headquarters.
JICA President Tanaka (first row, far right) and Vice President Miyazaki (first row, far left) with the award winners
At the beginning of the ceremony, JICA President Akihiko Tanaka praised the recipients for their achievements in activities that embody JICA’s vision of “Connecting the World through Trust. He emphasized that the issues that the awardees have addressed, such as improving urban living environments and community revitalization, educating children in vulnerable environments, creating jobs for young people, and fostering human resources, are at the core of “human security,” the pillar of Japan’s international cooperation, and that they will help overcome the complex crises the world is currently facing and develop cooperation to protect people’s human security. He emphasized the importance of development cooperation to overcome the complex crises currently facing the world and to protect the human security of people.
In addition, Commissioner Tetsuo Kondo (former UNDP Representative in Japan and Specially Appointed Professor at Kyoto University), representing the selection committee members, announced the winners and the details of the reasons* for the awards. This year marks the 70th anniversary of Japan’s first international cooperation through ODA. Commissioner Kondo said, “The projects nominated for the JICA International Cooperation Award are all excellent efforts, and I realized the depth of Japan’s accumulated international cooperation to date. He prayed that the award would help solve the world’s problems.
Following the introduction of the award winners and the presentation of certificates and commemorative gifts, each recipient gave a speech. The following is a summary of the speeches:
Augusto Pinto Carrillo, President of the Latin American Association of Urban and Regional Planners.
In 2000, I participated in JICA’s land readjustment training program in Obihiro. I deepened my knowledge of Japanese urban planning and development and learned about successful land development improvement projects in major cities in Japan.”
In 2024, it was reborn as the Latin American Association of Urban and Regional Planners. The goal of spreading the Japanese experience to the Latin American region was achieved. We would like to continue our activities to improve people’s lives as well as to think about how to create people-friendly, sustainable, and smart cities.
Representative: Shigeko Baba, Surangani, NGO.
For 37 years since I first came to Sri Lanka as a member of the Japan Cooperation Volunteers, I have worked to create an environment in which Sri Lankan children can thrive, thinking that this is the role of adults and what I can do.”
We support children in kindergartens, hospitals, poor families, and children with disabilities to help them connect with society and become self-reliant. Together with our many staff members and supporters, we will continue to support those who live with integrity and spread hope for the future of children and Sri Lanka.”
President Sameshima, National University Corporation University of Miyazaki
The project originated from the Bangladesh-Japan ICT Engineers’ Training Project (B-JET), which was launched in 2017. It aims to be a win-win project, promoting employment of young and talented ICT professionals in Bangladesh and alleviating the shortage of ICT human resources in Miyazaki.”
The Corona Hazama project will continue in cooperation with Miyazaki City, Keirinkan, and other partners. We are honored to be able to contribute to the internationalization of the region and the fostering of multiculturalism.
Mayor Miyazaki Mayor Kiyoyama (*Proxy)
We provide subsidies to local companies that accept Bangladeshi workers and help them adjust to life in Miyazaki by interacting with local citizens and providing them with information about daily life. We have received high praise from the host companies for the excellent and enthusiastic human resources we have received. We would like to continue to provide support that will lead to the development of both countries.
From left: JICA President Tanaka, Miyazaki Mayor Kodama, Miyazaki University President Samejima, Keirinkan Representative Director Kitagawa
Samejima, President of Miyazaki University
(*) Reasons for each award are as follows
Latin American Association of Urban and Regional Planners (President: Mr. Augusto Pinto Carrillo)
(Reason for award)
The Latin American region is vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, and is in the midst of population growth and urbanization. The Latin American Association of Urban and Regional Planners is a platform that brings together a diverse range of human resources, including central government officials, municipal officials, consultants, and university faculty from 14 Latin American countries, and is developing autonomous and sustainable activities while leveraging their respective strengths. It is expected to continue to co-create and lead advanced initiatives on urban issues in Latin America, which have become a pressing issue. The fact that they are not only applying the land readjustment methods they learned in Japan to urban planning in Colombia, but also spreading these methods to 14 Latin American countries and working toward their institutionalization is highly commendable and worthy of the JICA International Cooperation Award.
Shigeko Baba (President, NGO Surangani)
(Reason for award)
Many of the people in Sri Lanka have multiple vulnerabilities, including education, health, disasters, and standard of living. While children’s education is also in a serious condition due to the economic crisis, Shigeko Baba has been contributing to early childhood and child education for over 30 years through the NGO “Surangani” she established, by supporting the development of learning environments for children in vulnerable environments, including the poor and children with disabilities, and by providing training for kindergarten teachers. He is also highly appreciated for his efforts to improve the effectiveness of the project through joint activities with JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, based on his own experience as a member of JICA’s Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
Miyazaki University National University Corporation (core institution of this project)/ Miyazaki City/ Keirinkan Corporation/ North South University/ BJIT Corporation/ Kyoiku Joho Service (KJS)
(Reason for award)
Bangladesh is a promising emerging country with the world’s eighth largest population and a rising working-age population. This initiative was highly evaluated as an effort to promote human resource development with diverse partners in Bangladesh and Japan. A system to support business development between Japan and Bangladesh has already been established, and it is expected that this model will be expanded to other regions outside of Miyazaki in the future, and that it has the potential to become a more sustainable initiative, making it a worthy recipient of the JICA International Cooperation Award.
© Source JICA
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