Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Sachiko Imoto, during her recent visit to Kyrgyzstan gave an interview to Kabar News Agency, where she told about the main results and achievements of the organization's activities in Kyrgyzstan, plans, new projects, volunteers and the One Village - One Product project.
Ms. Imoto Sachiko, welcome to Kyrgyzstan. This is your first visit to Kyrgyzstan. I hope you like it. Today we would like to talk about the activities of JICA. What are the main outcomes/achievement of JICA cooperation in Kyrgyzstan?
First of all, let me express my gratitude for the opportunity to tell you about the activities of our agency.
JICA began implementing the cooperation program in the Kyrgyz Republic in 1993, immediately after gaining independence, and in 2003, the JICA Representative Office was opened in Bishkek. Since then, over 30 years, our agency has been carrying out its activities to assist the socio-economic development of the Kyrgyz Republic. This is my first visit to Kyrgyzstan, and I am very glad that I can see with my own eyes the results of 30 years of JICA's activities in your country.
I would like to note two main areas of the JICA cooperation program.
The first one is the technical cooperation program, which involves the knowledge sharing, as well as the exchange of experience by sending experts and volunteers from Japan.
The second direction is the provision of financial resources through the implementation of grant and loan projects aimed at developing the infrastructure of Kyrgyzstan.
To date, within the framework of the technical cooperation program, about 2,798 specialists from Kyrgyzstan have participated in short-term training programs in various fields in Japan. Also, 940 Japanese experts visited Kyrgyzstan to exchange knowledge with local specialists.
Within the framework of the financial cooperation program, JICA provided assistance in the amount of 28.7 billion yen for grant projects and 37.6 billion yen for loan projects.
The main goal of JICA's cooperation programs is to promote balanced socio-economic growth of Kyrgyzstan in the context of its transition to a market economy through cooperation in two priority areas: 1. Industrial diversification and job creation; 2. Improvement of public administration and social services through human resource development.
As for the industrial diversification and job creation, we would like to note our One Village - One Product flagship project, which involves the production of high-quality products from local resources in the regions, and the promotion of products on the international market. This initiative has been successfully implementing in the country for several years.
I would also like to mention the Kyrgyz-Japan Center for Human Development, which has been operating in Kyrgyzstan since 2003. The center trains local entrepreneurs on Japanese management and business management through business courses. This center also conducts courses on the Japanese language and Japanese culture in order to deepen intercultural understanding, and also assists in establishing and strengthening relations between companies of the two countries. More than 1,800 people have completed training in the center, among them there are graduates who have achieved great success.
Since the establishment of infrastructure is important for the development of the country's economy, several projects have been implemented with the support of JICA to improve the road sector, as well as to prevent natural disasters on major roads.
Roads, bridges and various structures were built to protect roads from natural disasters.
As far as I know, the recently built avalanche protection gallery on the Bishkek-Osh highway was named after the Kyrgyz-Japanese Friendship. Thus, I hope that the results of our cooperation in the field of infrastructure development will become a symbol of friendly relations between the two countries.
Another important component of our cooperation is public administration and improvement of social services. In this area, the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) has been successfully implementing for several years. I would like to note that many graduates of this program hold high and responsible positions in Kyrgyz government agencies and make their feasible contribution to the development of the public administration sector.
In addition, JICA is implementing other projects in various fields.
- Recently, JICA announced plans to implement several projects in Kyrgyzstan in various fields, can you please tell us about these projects?
As I have already noted above, the establishment of infrastructure is very important for ensuring transport links with other countries. Our agency is starting to implement a new grant project for the development of international airports in the Kyrgyz Republic. Earlier, we implemented a concept for improving the equipment of the Manas International Airport; within the framework of the new project, it is planned to modernize air traffic control systems at the Osh, Manas, and Issyk-Kul airports, as well as build the capacity of the personnel of the KyrgyzAeronavigation state enterprise through training.
We believe that this initiative will help improve flight safety and contribute to the expansion of air routes and communications with Kyrgyzstan, the development of the tourism sector and export promotion.
The second is the continuation of the project to provide educational scholarships to state and municipal employees, which has been implemented since 2006. Within the framework of this project, 287 civil servants have been trained in Japan. The new phase of this project involves training for another 20 state and municipal employees in various sectors: agricultural development, public administration, etc.
As I already mentioned, graduates of this program held senior government positions, including heads of ministries. In this sense, I can confidently say about the significant contribution of this project to the development of human resources in the country.
The third project is being implemented in the field of healthcare. It is aimed at improving medical services in tertiary hospitals in Bishkek, namely, the National Center for Cardiology and Therapy, and the Research Institute of Heart Surgery and Organ Transplantation.
According to statistics, Kyrgyzstan has a high mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases. In this area, we have studied ways to prevent such diseases. We would like to focus on treatment by providing new high-tech medical equipment.
We hope that our cooperation in the field of healthcare will be effective for the people of Kyrgyzstan.
- Volunteer Program is one of the main activities of JICA within the framework of international cooperation and JICA sends volunteers to developing countries, including Kyrgyzstan. How do volunteers contribute to social and economic development?
The development of JICA volunteerism has a long history. This direction began about 50 years ago. Currently, about 40 thousand volunteers are working in developing countries. As of today, there are 32 volunteers in Kyrgyzstan. In total, the number of volunteers who have arrived in your country over the entire period is 319 people.
A special feature of volunteer work is learning local languages and conducting work directly with the local population and experts. Volunteers sent to Kyrgyzstan study Kyrgyz or Russian and work together with their Kyrgyz partners. Currently, JICA volunteers work in Kyrgyzstan in three areas:
(1) ICT (2) Rehabilitation (3) Education and Youth Development.
The volunteer period is about two years, during which volunteers exchange knowledge and experience with local partners.
Upon returning to their home countries, many volunteers continue to maintain contact with Kyrgyzstan through cultural events and business exchanges. Some of them open their own business or company in Japan or Kyrgyzstan related to Japan and vice versa. That is why we call them ambassadors at the basic level, since volunteers play a huge role in deepening dialogue between the nations.
- "One Village - One Product" (OVOP) has been implementing in Kyrgyzstan for several years. What are the results of this project?
JICA launched OVOP in Kyrgyzstan in 2006. Since then, the project's activities have been expanding every year. Its aimed at the production of unique products using local raw materials. Over 3,300 manufacturers are participating in its implementation, and to date, more than 700 types of products have been developed.
As far as I know, OVOP products are highly valued in Kyrgyzstan and are exported not only to Japan, but also to China, the USA, the UAE and European countries.
People in the regions are quite limited in resources, and within the framework of this initiative, they have the opportunity to improve their economic situation by producing their products using local resources. I think this is a very good opportunity, this is what makes this project unique.
OVOP is highly appreciated not only by the people, but also by the government of the Kyrgyz Republic. In 2023, President Zhaparov assigned this project the status of a national project with the aim of further scaling its activities throughout Kyrgyzstan.
It should be noted that this initiative is of great interest not only in Kyrgyzstan, but also in neighboring countries. Thus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan have expressed great interest. During my visit to Uzbekistan, the Uzbek side earnestly asked us to implement the OVOP project. I think the OVOP model in Kyrgyzstan can become an example for the entire region.
- Kyrgyz civil servants have the opportunity to undergo training in Japan in various sectors. Does JICA plan to organize internships for media workers?
We understand that the role of media in the development of democracy in the country plays a huge role. Therefore, in addition to other trainings, JICA conducts training courses to strengthen the role of media representatives for the development of democracy.
The purpose of this course is to maintain a strong democratic state where freedom of speech is guaranteed as one of the fundamental human rights. This year, one representative from Kyrgyzstan is expected to participate in this training course.
This initiative is aimed not only at teaching the principles of democracy, but also at exchanging experiences between participants, creating and developing a network of useful contacts.
I think this course will be very useful for media representatives.
- Many nations admire the peculiarities, upbringing and originality of the Japanese people. Will the Kyrgyz be able to become as charming as the Japanese? What is needed for this?
Of course, it is gratifying to hear how you speak about our country and our people. I would like to note that the Japanese also admire your country. All Japanese who have visited Kyrgyzstan fall in love with your country and want to visit it again. I think that every nation, including the Kyrgyz, is unique in its own way. You have traits that we would also like to learn from. I would like to continue to strengthen friendly relations between our peoples.
Interviewed by Nurzhan Kasmalieva