(2) Safety Measures for People Involved in International Cooperation Projects
Then State Minister for Foreign Affairs Miyaji attending the 9th plenary meeting of the “Small and Medium Enterprise Overseas Safety Measures Network”
©TAKAO SAITO
MOFA Golgo 13’s Security Guidelines Page
Ensuring the safety of not only JICA-associated workers but also all actors involved in international cooperation projects, such as employees of companies and members of NGOs, is a prerequisite for the implementation of development cooperation centered on ODA projects, and MOFA and JICA work on taking sufficient security measures and establishing safety measures on a regular basis.
Following the terrorist attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in July 2016, the Council on Safety Measures for International Cooperation Projects, in which the relevant ministries, agencies, government-related organizations, and experts participated, carried out its review and released the “Final Report.”Note 29 MOFA and JICA strive to implement the safety measuresNote 30 recommended in the report as well as to continue and enhance actions to ensure the effectiveness of safety measures for people involved in international cooperation projects. At the 2024 Council, which was made permanent after publication of the report, MOFA shared information on recent terrorist attacks and kidnapping cases that require special attention, while JICA provided information on incidents affecting the safety of people involved in ODA projects that occurred during the year, and on related safety measures. The participants discussed various circumstances, measures, efforts, and other matters related to the safety of those involved in international cooperation projects.
Furthermore, in the wake of the terrorist attack in Dhaka, the Small and Medium Enterprise Overseas Safety Measures NetworkNote 31 was established in 2016 to strengthen overseas safety measures for personnel associated with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including those involved in international cooperation projects. With participants from ministries and agencies involved in the overseas expansion of Japanese companies, the Network holds a director-general-level plenary meeting about once a year. In January 2024, the 8th plenary meeting was held, and in January 2025, the 9th plenary meeting was held, attended respectively by then State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tsuge and then State Minister for Foreign Affairs Miyaji. At these meetings, organizations participating in the Network confirmed that they would continue to actively engage in awareness-raising activities, as well as further strengthen cooperation with organizations and relevant ministries and agencies to advance safety measures for SMEs.
In 2024, when the security situation deteriorated in Iran, Israel, Palestine and other countries, MOFA and JICA, building on the aforementioned regular security measures and initiatives, while accurately assessing the situation and cooperating with international organizations, swiftly evacuated those involved in international cooperation projects from those countries, placing the highest priority on human lives to ensure their safety.
Additionally, following multiple evacuation cases in 2023, in March 2024, MOFA created an expanded second edition of “Golgo 13’s Security Guidelines for Japanese SMEs Abroad,” which has been used to strengthen overseas safety measures for Japanese nationals including those involved in international cooperation projects. This edition includes a new episode emphasizing the importance of “preparing for evacuation.”
- Note 29: Safety Measures for International Cooperation Projects https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/page22_000141.html
- Note 30: The following five points are proposed as new safety measures: (i) Strengthening the collection, analysis, and sharing of threat information, (ii) A code of conduct of project partners and NGOs, (iii) Physical and non-physical protective measures, and strengthening training and drills, (iv) Post-crisis response, and (v) Raising crisis management awareness and improving organizational structures of MOFA and JICA.
- Note 31: Small and Medium Enterprise Overseas Safety Measures Network https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/anzen_info/network.html (in Japanese only)