Uruguay, located in the southeast of the South American continent, is on the other side of the globe from Japan and is a small country with a population of about 3.5 million, with an area less than half the size of Japan. It is also a politically and socially stable country and one of the most democratic in South America, and has developed with a "free and open economic policy", actively promoting free trade and diversifying foreign economic relations. The main industry is agriculture and forestry, and exports of meat, cellulose, soybeans and rice are the main products. The country is also attracting attention from Japan, as a beef supplier, as the ban on reciprocal beef exports was lifted in 2019, and today it can be found on Japanese restaurant menus as "Natural Beef". Over the past few years, emphasis has also been placed on expanding the functions of ports and other logistics hubs, the development of free trade zones, and the active introduction of foreign capital.
Although the Gini coefficient has improved in Uruguay as a whole, disparities remain between rural areas and the inhabitants of the capital, Montevideo. In addition, climate change, such as the increased frequency of floods and droughts, has had a serious impact on the agricultural and forestry sector and on hydroelectric power, the main source of energy; and environmental issues, such as waste management and river water pollution, have been identified as major development challenges. In this regard, international cooperation is needed to achieve "quality growth" in Uruguay.
Uruguay graduated from the OECD DAC aid recipient list in January 2018, however JICA has decided to continue its operations in Uruguay with the aim of resolving these development issues. In addition, as Uruguay is interested in advancing new donor initiatives, JICA intends to support the development of triangular cooperation, drawing on Japanese technical cooperation expertise and other types of expertise. In addition, through cooperation with the Japanese community in Uruguay and support for the activities of alumni returning from their training in Japan, we will also work to foster the future development of Japanese alumni in Uruguay, countries with a long tradition of friendship.
Finally, although the movement of people has been very restricted by COVID-19 for a long time, we will proceed with the reinitiating of the acceptance of training scholarships in Japan and the sending of JICA Volunteers to Uruguay, evaluating at all times the most effective and appropriate methods that adapt to the situations we live in. The JICA Office in Uruguay will continue to make efforts in the field of cooperation to further strengthen the bond of friendship and trust between Japan and Uruguay.
Resident Representative
JICA Uruguay Office
YAMAMOTO Mika
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