1

BALKAN NEWS No.3/November 2013

What is JICA’s Technical Cooperation?

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) assists and supports developing

countries and countries in transition as the executing agency of Japanese Official

Developement Assistance (ODA). Technical cooperation is an all embracing term

used to describe JICA's practical assistance to developing countries and countries in

transition. Depending on the specific project, technical assistance can include the

dispatch of experts, the training of local officials for ‘capacity development’, the supply

of equipment or financial assistance. Technical Cooperation plans can be tailored to

address a broad range of issues like: Education, Health, Enivronmental Management,

Private Sector Development, Social Security and Governence, etc.

Technical cooperation is one of JICA's three major areas of development assistance,

the others being provision of grant and concessionary loans.

http://www.jica.go.jp/project/english/index.html

CONTENTS

Introduction

Serbia

Bosnia and

Herzegovina

Albania

Kosovo

Montenegro

Other Topics

INTRODUCTION P1

P2

P2

P3

P3

P3

P4

For more information,

please contact:

www.jica.go.jp/balkan/office/

bk_oso_rep@jica.go.jp

Technical Cooperation

For human resources development and formulation of administrative systems of developing countries, technical cooperation involves the dispatch of JICA experts, acceptance of trainees and provision of necessary equipment

Acceptance of Trainees

The Acceptance of Trainees

involves accepting promising

trainees from counterpart

countries, people identified as

being responsible for future

nation-building. On training

course experts transfers

specialist expertise and skills

to trainees in various fields.

Trainees are able to gain a

deeper understanding of the

culture, society and economy

of Japan. During the training

course trainees must create

action plan, based on the

gained knowledge and

experience, and work on its

implementation through

follow-up projects upon their

return.

Dispatch of experts

Under this program, experts

in a diverse range of fields,

are dispatched to partner

countries where they provide

technical guidance and

instruction to counterparts. It

is essential for experts to

train the counterparts to such

a standard as to develop

them into home-grown

experts who will be able to

contribute to improving

technological levels and

thereby to economic and

social development of the

recipient country.

Provision of Equipment

Under the equipment supply

scheme, Japan provides

equipment and machinery

necessary for transfer of

technology through dispatch

of experts and acceptance

trainees, etc. This scheme is

distinct from the provision of

equipment under the project-

type technical cooperation

and is called "individual

equipment provision".

Japanese

experts sharing

his experience

to Serbian

colleague

Trainees from Kosovo in Japan

(waste management)

Previous issues are available at:

www.jica.go.jp/balkan/english/office/

others/newsletter.html

2

SERBIA

In October, 3 new Senior Overseas Volunteers (SV) arrived in Serbia. Starting with Japanese language and Kendo, people in Serbia are showing great interest in Japanese culture or Japanese style of business so the expectations of SV’s activities are high.

Mrs. Haruko Asatsuke (Volunteering field: Japanese language teacher; Institution: Belgrade Philology Gymnasium; Dispatch

period: 2 years)

Mr. Mikio Kashiwagi (Volunteering field: Kendo Instructor; Institution: Kendo Federation of Serbia; Dispatch period: 2 years)

Mr. Tadaaki Tanaka (Volunteering field: Food processing Engineer; Institution: Vojvodina Investment Promotion; Dispatch

period: 6 months)

Grass-root Cooperation Project - ACC Psycho-social Support to Children

The time has passed since the conflict in Yugoslavia ended, but this break up has left

problems of refugees. With addition of effects of recent economic crisis, this region was left

difficult situation to cope with this issue. There is a large population of refugees in Serbia,

and most of them are living at collective centers and social housing in suburbs of big cities.

Started in 2011, the Grass-Root Cooperation project supports refugees that are isolated

from society and are struggling in hard straits. Meant for the children with traumas of past

and bleak hope for future, the project aims to revive the hope, creativity and sociability

through psychological workshops and social events. In cooperation between Japanese

NPO ACC Hope and Serbian NGO Zdravo Da Ste, the project is being realized in Ralja of

BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA

Have you ever heard of ‘legacy pollution’? Generally companies have to take responsibility to recover the environment degradation by pollutants occurred due to their activities. The pollutants on which the polluter principle cannot be applied retrospectively are called legacy pollutant. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, many companies could not respond to change of economic environment and bankrupted, leaving unattended pollutants behind. These regions or sights with unattended pollutants, called “hot spots”, are threat to the environment. Therefore urgent measures are needed to be taken. JICA is supporting the improvement of hazardous waste management system as a legacy pollution measure, through hazardous waste management plan and establishment of road map for future resolution of the problem.

Hazardous waste in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Welcome to Serbia

Environmental Remediation Support Project

Mrs Matsunaga,

representative of ACC, with

children from Ralja

Smederevo Minuicipality and Kaludjerica in City of Belgrade.

For more details check: http://www.jica.go.jp/serbia/english/activities/activity20.html

Confidence Building in Srebrenica on Agricultural and Rural Enterprise Development

Since 2006, JICA has been supporting development of agriculture in Srebrenica, municipality heavily affected by Bosnian conflict, by

dispatching the Japanese experts. Later on, from September 2008, JICA has expanded the project as a Technical Cooperation. This

project will end in November 2013. Steady activity of Japanese experts has bear fruits such are orchards, production of raspberry and

blueberry, reviving pastures, small-scale irrigation constructions, contributing to economical independency and stability to people’s

livelihood. Also, this project aimed to strengthen the bond between locals through group work, indispensable part of agriculture, and to

support building their confidence and relation of mutual trust.

3

ALBANIA

Project for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Divjake-Karavasta National Park

From August 1st to 16

th, Albanian counterparts engaged in the project management

visited Japan to attend the training course organized by Japanese project team. 9

training participants are staff of Ministry of environment forestry and water administra-

tion Albania and related municipalities. Content of the training program included:

(1) environmental education and dealing with ‘wise use’ of Lake Biwa, the wetlands

are registered under the Ramsar Convention; (2) branding of environmentally friendly

agricultural products as “Stork Dance” in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture;

(3) resource management and local development in Kuroyama; Park management in

Shiroyama National Park; waste collection and environmental beautification in Kana-

zawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Training program delivered crucial information and

approaches for management of Albanian national parks. Regardless of the humid

Capacity Development in Waste Water Treatment Sector

and hot weather the training program was well-received. It is expected from participants to realize the action plan created during the

training course in future. http://www.jica.go.jp/project/albania/001/index.html

The atmosphere on training course

KOSOVO

From October 14th to November 1

st, the training program was realized, in Kita-

Kyushu City, for counterparts from Kosovo. 8 people from the Government of Koso-

vo, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial

Planning, Water and Waste regulatory Office and water authority (Priyren, Djakova,

Skendelai Region) participated on training program. Training participants learned

about sewage policies, conduct of activities, operation and maintenance, sewage

pipe maintenance, sludge treatment, efficient use, through classes, inspections and

practical activities. It is planned for participants to make presentations for related staff

after coming back home, to discuss and to sort issues that are related to local sew-

age. Based on this discussion, it is planned to realize the opinion exchange in order to

set the content of the next training program. Participants from Kosovo in sight inspection

Training course for staff related to the “Project on Establishment and Promotion of Mentoring Service for SME in the West-ern Balkans” which is being realized in 3 countries, including Montenegro, took place in Japan from September 1st to 10th. This time, for the related staff of governments of 3 countries, the inspection of Japanese SME, classes in SME University, Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SME Management Consultant Association were organized. Participants could realize the current state of the mechanism of support to SME in Japan. Now, the possibilities to adapt the Japanese models in own countries should be investigated.

Project on Establishment and Promotion of Mentoring Service for SME in the Western Balkans

MONTENEGRO

4

OTHER TOPICS

The hot summer has passed. Just as I thought autumn has

come in end of September temperature dropped to one digit

for couple of days. Sunny again. Average temperature in

October was 27 and the weather was fine. The summer

was prolonged.

Last days of October and autumn is back. It will be more

accurate to say winter than autumn. In pedestrian street in

center of Belgrade, the old ladies from south western Serbia

will come to sell hand-knitted sweaters and hat. I have start-

ed to look for gloves for cold winter and topics for next Bal-

kan News planned for February 2014.

Me

ss

ag

e fro

m th

e

Ed

itor

TRAININGNEWS

Anno

uncem

ent

Jan. 2014 Tourism Promotion Training Program

For more information, please contact:

www.jica.go.jp/balkan/office/

bk_oso_rep@jica.go.jp

MACEDONIA - I have visited tourism destination Ohrid, Macedonia, in

mid of September. With old churches and a lake, surrounded by

mountains, city of Ohrid is protected as the UNESCO World Heritage

site. I stayed in an inn overlooking the lake, and enjoyed freshwater

fish dishes with such a great relish. I visited house of Mihailo Pupin,

famous scientist, and also tasted young wine. Later I visited capital city,

Skopje. In Skopje, with population of 500 000 people, there are

Orthodox churches, Mosques and Synagogues, with communities of

different religions live together. The fact that Catholic nun Marija

Teresa, Nobel Peace Prize winner, was born here tells that Catholics

and Orthodox used to live together in Skopje. Macedonia is a small

country with population just over 2 million and mix of diverse culture.

But the greatest impression of my visit was warmhearted and pristine

mentality of the people. (text and photos by Mr. Fujinuma)

KAIZEN THE WISDOM OF IMPROVEMENT

BALKAN THROUGH THE EYES OF JICA STAFF

In business and industry world Kaizen, Japanese word for “Improvement” or “Good Change” is

mostly related to Toyota’s philosophy for car factory management.

Post-War Japan. The whole society was giving it’s best to rebuild the country. Devastated by

effects of the WWII, with new political and economy structure, Japanese society was coping with

scarce and poverty. During the time when ordinary people (and ordinary meant ‘not so poor’)

started to seek for solutions to raise the quality of livelihood, by utilizing only what they had (and it

was not much). Starting with rural areas, this painstaking but positive attitude towards betterment of

daily life, soon became a ‘movement’ widely practiced individually and collectively.

The livelihood improvement attitude of society, soon enhanced quality of nutrition, education,

medical care and improved physical and mental condition of the people. Kaizen, as a wisdom of

continuous improvement, soon started to be implemented into management of business and

engineering and manufactuiring process from small and medium enterprises to heavy industries.

Once a developing country, striving to stand on its feet, 19 years after the end of the WWII, Japan

became fast growing economy, with strong private sector. Symbolically Japan launched the bullet

train from Tokyo to Shin Osaka, and welcomed tens of thousands of people from around the world

to 1964 summer Olympics.

Eliminating the overly hard work, waste of time and resources in production procces, nowdays,

Kaizen became known world-wide, as a mean of business development without investments of

large scale. Kaizen got the status of philosophy in organizational sciences, and since it’s being

introduced to many countries which are in need of strenghtening of private sector.

13 Oct- 26 Oct

2 Sep - 2 Nov

8 Sep-19 Oct

25 Aug -11 Oct

7 Oct-9 Nov

Nov. 3 Kosovo Local Election

Nov. 9 UNIQLO&ACC Clothes for Smiles in Belgrade

Nov. 28 Speech Contest Belgrade Philology Gymnasium

Monument of Maria Teresa

in Skopje

改善

Kaizen - from Wisdom of

betterment of livelihood to

philosophy of production process

Promotion of Energy

Conservation in Commercial

and Residential Sector

1 person

Promotion of Energy

Conservation in Commercial

and Residential Sector

1 Person

Tourism Promotion and

Marketing

1 Person from each Country

Financial and Technical Support

for SME

1 Person

International Terrorism

Investigation

1 Person