JICA President Shinichi Kitaoka met with Mr. Sengdouane Rachanthaboun, Chairman of the Olympic and Paralympic Committee of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, at JICA Headquarters on July 26. Five athletes who have received training through these programs will represent Laos at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. President Kitaoka (left) and Chairman Senduan (right)
At the beginning of the meeting, President Kitaoka expressed his appreciation for the fact that Laos was the first country in the world where JICA dispatched its first cooperation team in 1965, and that Laos celebrated its 55th anniversary last year, contributing greatly to the promotion of mutual understanding between Laos and Japan. He also expressed his gratitude to President Sengduan for his longstanding efforts as Minister of Education and Sports to develop the fields of education, sports, and education for the handicapped, and for his cooperation in JICA’s activities.
In response, Chairman Sengduan expressed his appreciation for JICA’s past contributions to Laos’ economic and social development, including education and sports, and his expectations for continued cooperation.
In addition, President Kitaoka introduced JICA’s efforts to support legal development, foreign student projects, and JICA chair initiatives to promote cooperation based on Japan’s modernization and experience accumulated through overseas development cooperation, and exchanged views on national development and human resource development in Laos.
JICA will continue to contribute to the socio-economic development of Laos through projects such as human resource development, while focusing on building a relationship of trust between the two countries.
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