Press Release

Tokyo, Japan, January 30, 2020: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) invited 15 senior officials from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and State Forest Departments who have been involved in JICA-assisted forestry projects to visit Japan from January 20 to January 28, 2020. This is the second batch of a three-year country focused training program on Sustainable Forest Management and Integrated watershed management that targets mid-senior level officials in MoEFCC and state forest departments.

In order to address issues like strengthening livelihood interventions for forest dependent communities, enhancing community participation and strengthening sustainability of community institutions, strengthening technology based planning and addressing the climate change agenda, the Government of Japan organized this training program under the aegis of JICA. The program aims to enhance the capacities of key officials of MOEFCC and state forest departments on sustainable forest management, livelihood interventions, biodiversity conservation and technology based monitoring. The program will help officials in understanding approaches and methodologies of forest planning system in Japan, observe the initiatives/programs in Tokyo, Tsukuba and Kyoto and help in exchanging ideas around the forest management in India and Japan. The sub-themes that will be addressed during visit are disaster management, Biodiversity/human-wildlife conflict and sustainable utilization of resources (bamboo production and value addition).

Mr. Vineet Sarin, Chief Development Specialist, who led the group said, "The delegation had detailed interactions regarding forestry projects in India and learnt best practices in forestry from Japan. The program also helped in forming mutual understanding of challenges and opportunities in forestry sector both in Japan and India. During the program, officials from India developed immediate action plans to adopt and adapt in their respective projects. The program helped in customizing solutions to deal with challenges faced by project leaders and facilitators. In the long-run, the project leaders can implement these solutions and benefit from these learnings."

Within this wide range of programs, Training Programs have long occupied an important place in JICA operations. Conducted in Japan, they provide partner countries with opportunities to acquire practical knowledge accumulated in Japanese society. Participants dispatched by partner countries find useful knowledge and re-create their own knowledge for enhancement of their own capacity or that of the organization and society to which they belong.

JICA has assisted 27 loan projects and 2 technical cooperation projects in 14 states for the forestry sector in India. Japan's support to India consists of ODA loans of 270 billion Japanese Yen (approximately INR 16,300 Crore) since 1991/92 towards the forestry sector and have plantation activities under JICA supported projects that cover close to 3 million hectares across Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura.

About JICA

Established, by a specific law, as an independent administrative institution under the Government of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) aims to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation, as a sole Japanese governmental agency in charge of ODA implementation. JICA is the world's largest bilateral donor agency. JICA works as a bridge between Japan and emerging countries, and provides assistance in forms of loan, grant and technical cooperation so that the emerging countries can strengthen their capabilities.

For further information, please contact:

JICA India Office
Naya Sho/Vini Sharma
+91 11 49097000
naya.sho@jica.go.jp
Sharmavini.id@jica.go.jp