JICA President Akihiko Tanaka visited Fiji from October 15 to 20. During his stay, he met with Prime Minister Bainimarama, Attorney General Khaiyumu, and Minister of Economy, Public Enterprises, Public Service, and Communications.
Fiji is home to the offices of many regional and international organizations, playing a central role in regional cooperation, and is also expected to serve as a hub for the resolution of issues common to the Pacific island region. In addition, the Pacific region, including Fiji, has experienced frequent natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and cyclones, and there is a growing need for climate change mitigation and adaptation due to concerns that climate change will cause extreme damage from cyclones and heavy rainfall in the future.
During his meeting with Prime Minister Bainimarama, President Tanaka confirmed the further strengthening of the relationship between Japan and Fiji through ODA, saying that he would like to continue to implement initiatives to encourage Fiji’s role in the international community, taking into account the leadership role that Fiji is playing in solving common regional issues. Prime Minister Bainimarama thanked JICA for its past cooperation, including its assistance with the Corona Disaster, and expressed his desire to further strengthen bilateral ties to resolve common issues within Fiji and in the region.
During the meeting with Secretary Khaiyum, President Tanaka spoke about the importance of human resource development and future cooperation that combines multiple schemes. Secretary Khaiyum expressed his appreciation for the yen loans (Note 1) implemented during the disaster and the Corona Disaster, which have contributed greatly to Fiji’s rapid economic recovery, and also mentioned expectations for strengthening relations with Japanese companies, and the importance of technical cooperation and JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
The Fiji government aims to achieve a 100% renewable energy ratio by 2036 in order to mitigate climate change, and many Pacific island countries are also aiming for an early shift to renewable energy. In response, JICA is providing cooperation (Note 2) in the field of renewable energy to Pacific island countries based on Japan’s experience on the islands. President Tanaka visited the Fiji Electricity Training Institute, which conducts training for the development of electric power engineers for neighboring island countries with the cooperation of JICA, and reaffirmed the importance of actively cooperating in human resource development in Pacific island countries, with Fiji as a hub for regional cooperation.
They also observed cyclone monitoring and community training at the Fiji Meteorological Department, and the effective functioning of the infrastructure at the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Transmitting Station to transmit disaster information to people on remote islands, reaffirming the importance of efforts based on Japan’s disaster prevention experience (Note 3) to reduce disaster risks such as cyclones, heavy rains, and floods. The importance of Japan’s experience in disaster risk reduction, such as cyclones, torrential rains, and floods, was reaffirmed. They also visited a site where they are teaching livestock breeding as the first team to resume the dispatch of cooperative teams, which had been suspended due to the Corona disaster.
JICA will continue to work towards solving issues common to Fiji and the Pacific island region.
(Note 1) “Disaster Recovery Stand-By Loan” and “Emergency Assistance Loan for New Coronavirus Infectious Disease Crisis Response” (Phase 1 and 2).
(Note 2) To support the renewable energy sector in Pacific island countries including Fiji, JICA is cooperating in reducing fuel costs, ensuring a stable supply of electricity, reducing greenhouse gases, and promoting the further introduction of renewable energy through technical cooperation projects such as the “Pacific Region Hybrid Power System Introduction Project”. JICA is also supporting the introduction of renewable energies.
(Note 3) JICA’s support to the disaster reduction sector in Fiji includes technical cooperation projects such as “Project for Promoting Mainstreaming of Disaster Risk Management” and “Nadi River Flood Control Project”, and grant aid projects such as “Medium Wave Radio Broadcast Rehabilitation Project” and “Meteorological Observation and Forecasting Facility Improvement Project” to strengthen Fiji’s capacity for policy formulation and administrative implementation, and to strengthen the capacity of the Fiji Meteorological Department as an observation and forecast center and regional core meteorological center. The project is strengthening the observation and forecasting capacity of the Meteorological Department and its capacity as a regional core meteorological center, developing a flood master plan, and strengthening the capacity of the Seismological Department, Fire Department, and other operational agencies.
© Source JICA