Report from JICA Participant (Argentina) ～What has happened to his action plan in those 10 years～（2019年7月17日）

Organization and present position: Project Coordinator of ARG16G23 GEF Project "Sustainable Business Models for Biogas Production from Organic Municipal Solid Waste"
Name: Mr. Santiago Solda
Name of the program: Solid Waste Management by Local Government
Program period: January 15-March 6, 2009

The other day, we received a great news from an ex-JICA participant. He is Mr. Santiago Solda from Argentina. He participated in a program, conducted for 2months at JICA Kansai (at that time, JICA Hyogo)　back in 2009. At the end of the program, he formulated an action plan devising the special matrix describing the relation between the data of solid waste management and its expense for local government. His achievement has been introduced both in World Bank International report and in UN Global Report. Here is his message.

Developing Action Plan

Dear JICA friends from Japan and Argentina,　
It has been a long time since I wrote to you last. I hope all of you are fine, as I am.　I wanted to write to you this time because some good things happened related with my work during the past months since I made an Action Plan in 2009.　A summary of the work I developed was published last year in the World Bank International Report 2018 “What a Waste 2.0 – A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050” and in the United Nations Global Report 2018 “Waste Management Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean”. I am sending you both links, if you would like to have a look at that:

1) World Bank Report "What a Waste". Our solid waste economic and financial work is analyzed.
In page 143: there is a Case Study section:

2) UNDP Report "Waste Management Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean”　is analyzed in the Case Study 18 “Economic and financial matrix for calculating the costs of integrated municipal solid waste management in Argentina”. In page 100:

3) Because I am working in issues related to Circular Economy and Solid Waste, I participated, representing Argentina, in “OECD Working Party on Resource Productivity and Waste (WPRPW)” held in Paris, in December 2017. Because of both recent publications related to financing Solid Waste programs, I was given an opportunity to present our project to other OECD countries from Latin America, which have problems to finance their Solid Waste programs.

I think that this presentation was quite satisfactory. There were many questions on my presentation. Among them was a question from the Japanese member of the working group, who told me that from his point of view the activity we are developing (Municipal SW costs and information) should have to be mandatory and not optative for local governments. In Japan, they have some tool to share with other countries in a similar way, but municipalities have the obligation to report their SWM Plans and costs. I told him that I agreed with him, that we were in the way to convince authorities. However, specially, I took the opportunity to tell him that I was proud to say that my participation in JICA course in Kobe back in 2009, developed the work, and my achievement was the result of my JICA Action Plan.

Anyway, it is always a pleasure for me to write you, and to remember my Kobe time.
I wish the best for you.
Best regards,

Santiago

Notes

The JICA course Santiago san participated in 2009 is not conducted any more. However, we now carry out quite a number of waste management related programs at JICA Kansai. We are expecting that many participants will follow Santiago san in making a great contribution with his/her expertise not only for home country but also for other countries.

JICA is committed to playing a key role in achieving SDGs making use of 60 years’ of experience and network in development cooperation for the international community. Waste management related programs are organized to realizing Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and Goal 12 (Responsible Production and Consumption).


YOKOTANI Kimie, Program Division 2, JICA Kansai