Section 6 Securing the Safety of People Involved in International Cooperation Projects
The security situations are complex in developing countries where not only the JICA staff, experts and volunteers but also a variety of people involved in international cooperation projects including consultants, contractors and NGOs are working, and not only does the situation differ from country to country; it also changes day by day and minute by minute.
Japanese consultants working on a JICA project were killed in the terrorist attack in Dhaka in July 2016, and in response, MOFA and JICA reviewed safety measures for people involved in international cooperation projects, and established the Council on Safety Measures for International Cooperation Projects under MOFA in order to establish new safety measures. MOFA and JICA, together with many relevant ministries and agencies, and in cooperation with government-related institutions, companies, NGOs, and experts in regional situations and crisis management, published the new safety measures (the Final Report) on the last day of August. Taking into account the recent international situation, this Final Report recognizes that the notion that “safety is ensured at no cost” is now completely obsolete and it has become essential for the top of their organizations to take the lead in taking measures. It decided to take specific measures in a variety of areas in order to secure the safety of people involved in JICA and also a wider range of people involved in international cooperation projects and NGOs, including SMEs that do not have strong organizational structure. These measures include (i) making the Council on Safety Measures for International Cooperation Projects a permanent council, and engaging in steady implementation of safety measures and close information sharing with the relevant people, (ii) enhancing the equipment for safety measures of diplomatic missions abroad and overseas JICA offices and assistance for building the security capacities of local authorities, (iii) encouraging the people involved in projects and NGOs to record expenses for safety measures in project expenses, and in addition to utilizing and improving systems, lobbying local governments, etc. and (iv) nominating a Deputy Director General-level official in MOFA and an executive in JICA, respectively, as the officials in charge of safety measures, etc.
Since the publication of the Final Report, MOFA and JICA have steadily implemented the new safety measures. For example, they instructed the diplomatic missions abroad and overseas JICA offices on measures with which they can implement immediately, such as strengthening their gathering of information on security, strengthening their relationship with the local security authorities, etc. Furthermore, the International Cooperation Bureau in MOFA and JICA have worked to strengthen their systems to fundamentally reform safety measures, including nominating a senior official to be in charge of safety measures, etc. In addition, they have held country consultations in order to share threat information, etc. with the relevant people, and they have made sure that all people involved in projects, NGOs, etc. are aware that they are encouraged to complete their Overseas Residential Registration or their Overseas Travel Registration (“Tabi- Regi”). Moreover, JICA holds safety measures training and counter-terrorism measures training for a wide range of relevant people, including the people involved in projects, NGOs, etc., has held safety measures seminars and meetings in the overseas locations, and has implemented emergency contact drills, etc.
The Development Cooperation Charter emphasizes that measures to ensure the safety of people involved in projects, NGOs, etc. are important, as well, and they are an essential precondition for moving forward with ODA projects. The Government of Japan will carefully work on the steady implementation of safety measures.
The first meeting of the Council on Safety Measures for International Cooperation Projects, held at MOFA on July 12, 2016