FY 1999 Seminar for Supporting the Middle East Peace Process

March 8, 2000

As one of the activities pertaining to the Multilateral Track of the Middle East Peace Process, the Government of Japan has been inviting through JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) around 10 participants each year from the region. As for Fiscal Year 1999, Japan is to host a Seminar on wastewater treatment and recycling of used water, themes identified as important domains to be supported by the Environmental Working Group of which Japan is the Gavel-holder. The seminar is organized in collaboration with JICWELS (Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services) and is to be held from Monday 6 March to Friday 17 March.

The aim of this year's seminar is to study the possibility of utilizing small-scale wastewater treatment units in the Middle East region, a unique Japanese technology in the domain of wastewater treatment targeting small sized communities; the technology is an instance of the Japanese know-how in the field of wastewater treatment policy. For this purpose, all the participants to the seminar are expected to be policy makers in the sphere of wastewater treatment. Of the 12 participants, four are from the Palestinian Authority, three from Egypt and Jordan respectively, and two from Israel.

The seminar also bears the character of a follow-up initiative of the experimental small-scale wastewater treatment units installed in an agricultural school located in the West Bank; the units were installed in response to the Gavel-holder's Mission in the framework of the Environmental Working Group which took place last March and the project has been implemented with the support of the Japanese Ministry of Welfare as well as JICWELS (Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services). Japan intends to make a report to the Tunis Meeting of the Environmental Working Group, scheduled on 31 May and 1 June, on the outcomes of the coming seminar.

The Seminar for Supporting the Middle East Peace Process has been addressing for the past seven times such issues of common concerns within the region as tourism promotion, desalination, prevention of desertification, etc. The seminar is highly appraised by those concerned as it allows the transfer of high technology and know-how from Japan and as it fosters mutual confidence amongst relevant parties to the Middle East Peace Process.

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