“Once Sanctions Are Lifted, We Work in Iran’s Tourism Industry,” JICA Chief Representative in Iran.

JICA has been established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to enhance international relations as well as developing global and Japanese economy through supporting economic progress and revitalizing and stabilizing developing regions. In 1974, JICA’s office in Iran opened, later closed in the time of war between Iran and Iraq, and reopened once again in 2005. Since the early days of its reopening, JICA’s environmental cooperation in Iran was on the agenda and the organization began to carry out a number of projects in various points in Iran. To study the different dimensions of JICA’s operation in Iran and its achievements, we conducted an interview with JICA’s representative in Iran which is as follows.

AVA Diplomatic’s Exclusive Interview with Yukiharu Kobayashi,

Chief Representative of JICA in Iran

Interview by Mohammadreza Nazari 

 In what year and based on what rules and goals was JICA established?

JICA was established first in 1974 consisting of a number of organizations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and other ministries.

Of JICA’s key objectives, one could point out that JICA aims to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation as well as the sound development of Japanese and global economy by supporting the socioeconomic development, recovery or economic stability of developing regions.

Why is the money of Japanese taxpayers being invested in developing countries? What does this approach bring to the Japanese people?

Chiefly, we have two goals; one is humanitarianism and the other is that if we have a peaceful world, then Japan would be benefited by it, too, and in fact, that’s a win-win situation for us. If we help the world make peaceful and prosperous, and live in it, then there will be guaranteed benefit for Japan.

How large is the budget JICA spent in various countries in 2017?

We cooperate with recipient countries in three ways; first, through technical cooperation that includes dispatching Japanese experts to a country or through receiving that country’s experts in Japan, for which we had some $1.3mn budget in 2017.

Another way is through contributions which are done in the form of donated equipment or sums used in non-profitable manners such as building schools and hospitals, for which we spent $1.4mn in 2017.

The third way, of course, are ODA loans from Japan for which some $11.2bn was considered. These loans are spent on infrastructural operations such as building power plants or renovating infrastructural facilities.

How many active offices does JICA have in other countries?

Considering the one in Iran, we have about 100 offices would wide.

Is your priority in opening offices simply supporting the potentials and capacities of other countries or are there other objectives you pursue?

First, the Embassy of Japan and then, a JICA office is opened in a country. That is how the system works.

In fact, to open an office in every country, JICA takes into account Japan’s bilateral as well as economic and political relations with it. It must be mentioned that as we are in charge of offering and implementing Japan’s developmental contributions, Official Development Assistance, so-called, ODA, we do not have any offices in developed countries, except in the US and France, and that is why our offices are mostly located in developing or underdeveloped countries.

Given that you work under the Japanese Foreign Ministry, do your duties not intersect?

What JICA pursues is mainly official development contributions which used to be under the MFA’s authority and was later entrusted with JICA to execute them independently. In practice, there is no problem in developmental supports.

In some cases, it is believed that JICA is a private organizations, but in fact, we work under the direct supervision of the Japanese Government, especially, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

The role JICA plays in other countries’ developments is that of a catalyst and its goal is to make a bilateral contact between that country and Japan through transferring knowledge and experience so they could both be benefited by their relations. On the other hand, JICA gives its intended country the knowledge and experience aiming at its development, and that mutually benefits Japan.

What does JICA do to promote sustainable economy in other countries?

JICA has two defined original missions to begin with. JICA, in accordance with the Development Cooperation Charter, will work on human security and quality growth.

When did JICA first begin its work in Iran?

In 1974, JICA opened an office in Iran. JICA’s office in Iran, however, was closed in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war and reopened once again in 2005.

Is JICA’s Tehran office reopened with a new agenda or it is all the same among its offices in other countries?

JICA’s offices have generally similar plans, but in 2005 when our office in Tehran was reopened, sanctions were still an issue and we have placed our focus on environmental issues.

How has the lifting of sanctions against Iran affected your activities in Iran?

Once the sanctions were gone and the government of Japan expressed its support to the JCPOA, Japan’s interaction increased with Iran, JICA’s activities rose ever since, and, on February 2016, Japan’s former FM, Mr. Kishida announced more developmental ODA contributions through ODA Loans and Grant Aid. These contributions, of course, also intended to promote more Japanese private companies inflow into Iran. Japanese Government, in 2017, revised its country assistance policy for Iran, and that is why, in addition to environment, we have added other priorities to JICA’s agenda.

JICA’s record in Iran shows that in 2004, Iran’s Cabinet issued a permit for JICA to have an office here in Iran. Does it mean JICA did not have a permission to work in Iran before that?

JICA opened its office in Tehran in 1974. Once, JICA closed its office from 1980 due to Iran-Iraq War. Back at the time when we did not have an office in Iran, the Embassy of Japan followed up on ODA in Iran. After that and in accordance with the permit Iran’s Government gave us, JICA’s office was re-opened.

How many employees are working at JICA’s office in Tehran?

At the moment, there are 7 Japanese staffs at our office, but to drive forward and make progress in the projects, various Japanese experts make periodical visits to Iran.

From 2012 to 2017, the number of Japanese experts who were sent to Iran was tripled and the number of Iranian governmental employees and experts sent for training courses to Japan was doubled. This shows how effective the lifting of sanctions has been in this area.

As we proceed, I would like to discuss the projects finished by JICA in Iran in the past. What areas did they cover and what achievements did they have?

One of our most recent ODA Loan projects was building the hydropower plant in Masjed Soleyman, which was Iran’s largest hydropower plant in its time.

Since 1998, we have had cooperation with Tehran Disaster Management and Mitigation Organization in various projects including earthquakes, crisis management and decreasing the risk of its consequences. We worked in the fields of zoning and making emergency evacuation plans, etc.

Another case is the project of preserving the Anzali Wetlands. JICA participated in this project 10 years ago and transferred its knowledge and experience to local people and communities through conducting pilot projects, including how to avoid erosion and manage the wastewater poured into the wetlands.

The second phase of the Anzali Wetlands Project seems to have begun.

Yes. Phase 1 was done in 2012 and phase 2 began in 2014.

What projects does JICA have in the pipelines in Iran at the moment?

One of the projects in progress is the Uremia Lake Project. In fact, JICA is conducting research on how to manage the region’s water resources.

We are assessing how to reach a certain solution along with the Iranian Government’s interaction and consultation for the daily and agricultural uses of water in that area. We are still carrying out our studies and evaluating the situation, but we will soon go to the next phase.

Of course, the teams JICA sends out are not in a place to make decision and are only conducting researches. They are simulating water management so the government could make use of their achievements as to determine the necessary measures.

JICA does not interfere with decisions and measures, either. It only gathers the observations in order for the government to be able to make better decisions.

Another project in progress concerns the Karoon river basin, in which we are dealing with two matters; one is water management and the other is forest management, because there is a large population of nomads and livestock in that region and uncontrolled grazing by ranchers and nomads destroys the forests. The model that is in practice there is “Joint Forest Management Model” in which our project is defined.

Where does JICA stand in building capacities in the Karoon river basin?

As I said, our objective in this project is twofold: first, we want to transfer our knowledge and experience to them so they can make a unified grassland management and second is joint forest management.

We had a project in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari in the past in which provincial authorities received necessary knowledge, experiences and steps and that was done to promote their capabilities.

In the new project, in addition to Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, we cover the provinces in the range of the Karoon river basin offering the trainings and plans for building capacities there.

How long did it take to finish the project of forests in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari?

It took five years. As I said before, our catalyst role in this project behooved us not to offer executive solutions and not to step in executive areas, because that is not our job. Our focus was mainly on the recommendations to provincial and local authorities so they could put them together and take executive measures informing local communities of them at seminars or using other means.

Apart from those you referred to, what other projects do you have in hand?

We also have a project on Tehran’s air pollution in progress and our main goal is to promote the skills of analyzing and measure air pollution.

It is certain that JICA cannot work out this problem all by itself, because air pollution in Tehran is a very big problem. We heighten the capacities for assessing the pollution status in order for the authorities to take proper measures against it once they precisely analyze the matter. Another project in progress is about gratuitous donations and we intend to donate facilities to Iran that can conduct the analysis better and more accurately.

Gather from your words that the analysis of the air pollution in Tehran is not precise. Is that so?

I don’t mean “not precise”, but mean “more accurately or detailed”. That is why we focused on this matter and decided to give Tehrani authorities the experiences Japan had in its own cities and they can make their decision based on our experiences at the end.

JICA cooperates with Tehran’s municipality in crisis management. How is that?

Our main activity in this area goes back to 1998 when some studies were done and led to preparing a comprehensive plan for decreasing risks from natural disasters, especially earthquakes.

That comprehensive plan became the reference in most pilot projects done afterwards. JICA has also designed a number of projects for planning emergency routes in Tehran and review of construction standards.

Are there any loans, contributions or donations considered to be allocated to Iran by JICA?

Not at the moment, but after the sanctions were lifted, other areas were added to JICA’s priorities in cooperation with Iran including health care and infrastructure development.

To that end, the Government of Japan confirmed Grant Aid of healthcare equipment to two hospitals, Imam Hussein and Arash, in Tehran.

There will be other gratuitous donations from us, of course, that include the areas of environmental pollution and equipment for measuring this type of pollution.

Do you know why those two hospitals were selected to be given free-of-charge donations?

Based on the meetings we had with the authorities of Ministry and these two hospitals as well as the researches and evaluations conducted for it.

Japanese experts were sent to Iran for this express purpose and took various factors into consideration such as the target patients of these two hospitals.

Also, the selected hospitals had to be state-fund and cover diseases like cancer which have a high rate of occurrence in Iran. With all these factors put together, these two hospitals were chosen to begin with.

Considering that Arash Hospital is a gynecological hospital, does that mean you will have collaborations to transfer the knowledge and technology of parturition and special diseases such as breast cancer?

The equipment we donate is rather related to non-contagious diseases and diagnosis of diseases like cancer, breast cancer in particular.

How effective will JICA’s projects in the free zone of Qeshm be on the living conditions of local communities and preservation of the region’s natural resources?

The main objective in this project is to implement the society-based sustainable development plan in Qeshm Island and this will be done in cooperation with Qeshm Free Zone Organization.

The goals of this project include the promotion of living conditions in local communities and preservation of the region’s natural resources.

As Qeshm Free Zone has once again joined geoparks, developmental measures for its environment are also under consideration and in this regard, some projects are defined and in progress to promote the living condition of local communities, including souvenirs market, medical herbs garden, prosopis management, seaweed plantation, palm farms, launch museum and mangrove jungles, which are classified under ecotourism. Landfill sites are also another issue that goes under waste management.

When did the project begin and when will it end?

Our project began in November, 2015 and is bound to take until November, 2018.

According to our info, the Qeshm Project has a budget of $5mn. How and where is this budget spent?

The budget is mostly spent on the round-trip of Japanese experts to Qeshm and their accommodation. There are some activities in the form of pilot projects, of course, and we pay for their necessary equipment and training. Part of the said costs is also allocated to sending the individuals engaged in the project to Japan for trainings and visits.

Different Japanese contractors are working with JICA in Qeshm. How are they selected?

When such a project is designed, what matters most in choosing advisers or experts from among Japanese consultant companies is the experiences of its team of experts and the company itself in similar projects all over the world. There is a bid and their preferred price to do the project is discussed and based on the announced costs and efficiency, the related company or expert is chosen.

Are contractors supposed to be Japanese?

They are mostly Japanese, since in technical projects, the bid is held in Japan. However, some of those who make it through the project sometimes employ consultants from other countries. It must be mentioned that large Japanese corporations have various sections and each section operates in a separate field.

How much is the total cost of the projects JICA has in Iran and all around the world?

Until 2016, costs for technical cooperation projects were estimated at $253.7mn and some $744mn was given as JPY loans. Since the commencement of cooperation by the Japanese Government, 3509 Iranian experts have gone to Japan and been trained there, and 1205 Japanese experts had come to Iran up until 2016. Also in 2016, JICA’s budget for technical cooperation projects in Iran was 1,122,000,000 JPY.

JICA has been continuously holding training courses for Iranian applicants since 1957; what do those courses cover now?

They continue to be held and we try to cover different areas and fields including health care, water resource management and other managerial issues such as fighting RICOs and narcotics.

We offer training courses in transportation, energy, financial regulations and rules and development of private sector which includes promotion of SMEs.

Our effort is to cover developmental plans of Iranian Government in every field. Whenever we announced these courses, we ask the government of Iran that qualified participants be selected for them so they can put into practice what they achieved in Japan, once they get back to Iran.

What cooperation can Japan and Iran have in tourism?

Once the sanctions are lifted, we intend to work on tourism and developing it as part of enhancing our activities in Iran.

Our main goal in this area is to achieve job creation through developing tourism, because as you know, Iran has many cultural heritage and touristic attractions and if it is possible to work on attracting internal and external tourists here more than before, then this can lead to employment and job creation.

Presently, project formulation and feasibility studies are being conducted in tourism and we are identifying the existing potentials.

Does JICA cooperate with the Iranian customs to facilitate and train Iranian experts?

Last March in Japan, a training course was held and a group from the Iranian customs went there to take part in a drug dog training course.

Our other cooperation with the Iranian customs is in holding courses in a third-party country so Iran and Japan can alongside each other train the customs experts of Afghanistan. Two phases of these courses have been held and the third one will be run in the future.

One of the projects JICA cooperated in was tuberculosis training in collaboration with the Iranian Government for Afghanistan and Tajikistan between 2012 and 2017. Considering that tuberculosis is contained and controlled in Iran and other countries in the region, what objectives do these courses pursue?

This tuberculosis educational course for Afghanistan was held in Iran and by Iranian experts. It goes under courses in third party/countries.

We created an opportunity for Afghan doctors who work on tuberculosis to investigate various issues with Iranian experienced doctors and this way, the treatments Iran has achieved would be transferred to that country.

In the end, if there is anything left you want to speak about, we are all ears.

I am very thankful to you for the comprehensive vision and questions put forward. We would like to extend our activities in Iran, but sometimes, we feel that there is not a correct understanding of JICA in Iran and, I am hoping, what you do makes our activities more known.

In fact, I intend to emphasize that our role in Iran is one of a catalyst. Having Japan’s knowledge and experience at our disposal, we help our Iranian counterparts make best decisions and have the best performance and effective projects would be designed.

In doing so, we need mutual trust. We can design projects that can help the lives of the Iranian people bloom and grow and do so in a larger scale in all over the world.