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signing ceremony

On October 12, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a grant agreement with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in Dili to provide grant aid of up to a total of 159 million yen for the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship.

The project, which is known by the acronym JDS,* is currently in operation in 13 countries, supporting the study of outstanding young government officials and others slated to be future leaders at graduate schools in Japan.

The year 2019 marks the 20th anniversary since the inception of JDS and of Japanese cooperation with Timor-Leste. The first JDS project will be implemented in Timor-Leste such a commemorative year.

After undergoing a rigorous selection process, eight government officials will be accepted into master’s courses and will arrive in Japan in summer 2019. After the JDS Fellows return home country, it is expected that they will utilize the expert knowledge acquired during their studies in Japan to contribute to plan formulation and policy making to resolve challenges in Timor-Leste. JDS Fellows are also expected to contribute to the broadened and enhanced bilateral relations between Japan and Timor-Leste, with well-rounded knowledge of Japan.

* The acronym comes from the original project name, Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resource Development Scholarship.

[Basic project information]

Country	Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Project title	The Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship
Planned implementation period	42 months
Executing agency	National Institute of Public Administration
Target region, facilities
Specific project details (provisional)	Acceptance of up to eight JDS Fellows Anticipated fields: ・Improvement of Public Administration and Legal System ・Improvement of Service Delivery (Health / Education) ・Rural and Industrial Development ・Improvement of Transportation / Urban Environment Development