On July 15, JICA President Shinichi Kitaoka held an online meeting with Jean-Marie Ghenot, Professor at Columbia University’s School of International Public Policy, to discuss JICA’s support for peacebuilding, the role of UN and PKO activities, and prospects for international cooperation in the post-Corona era. Mr. Gheno has served as a member of the International Advisory Board (“IAB”) (Note 1) established by JICA in 2017 since its establishment. At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Kitaoka, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, gave a presentation on Mr. Goeno’s views on how JICA should work on recovery from the international corona crisis and cooperation with countries where democratization is in retreat, what direction the declining trend of international cooperation will take in the future, how the changing nature of warfare due to attacks in cyber space will affect future conflicts, and other issues. Mr. Geno expressed his wish to hear from the audience his views on these and other issues. JICA President Kitaoka (left) with Professor Jean-Marie Guéhenno (upper right) and JICA Peacebuilding Office Director Murotani (lower right)
In response, Mr. Gheno stated that because of the continued inward-looking tendency of countries, there is no country leading the formation and sharing of norms that form the basis for international cooperation and multilateralism, and that it is important to aim for coordination among countries on an issue-by-issue basis. He also pointed out that the factors contributing to prolonged conflicts are “multi-layered” conflicts and “criminalization. He stated that it is difficult for development agencies alone to resolve these protracted conflicts, and that diplomatic efforts and international cooperation in the prevention of international crimes will be important. He also shared his analysis and views on the changing role of PKOs, the African Sahel region, Myanmar, Palestine, Afghanistan, etc.
Other JICA participants introduced the peacebuilding “Global Agenda” (Note 2) prepared by JICA and efforts in several regions and countries. Based on this, a wide range of discussions took place between Mr. Gheno and the participants, including JICA’s involvement with non-state actors in the Sahel region and the possibility of cooperation with regional organizations, etc., local people’s perception of Islamic extremist groups and foreign troops, and analysis of the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
In closing, President Kitaoka expressed his desire to continue such a free and vigorous exchange of opinions, to which Mr. Gheno agreed and expressed his hope that the IAB as a whole will have opportunities for discussion.
(Note 1) The IAB was established in March 2017 to obtain advice on JICA’s business policies and initiatives from internationally renowned domestic and foreign experts, and to improve the strategic nature of its projects.
(Note 2) The Global Agenda is JICA’s business strategy for each field issue, which aims to achieve medium- and long-term results and impact beyond individual projects, strengthen human resource development and external communications by leveraging Japan’s experience, and build a platform for the participation of domestic and international stakeholders.
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