Mekong Watch CATFISH TALES
TOPIC: OPERATION BEGINS FOR JICA'S NEW GUIDELINES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND
SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS--Public comments now being accepted for project in
Central Vietnam (Ta Trach Dam)
Date: 4 December 2004
OPERATION BEGINS FOR JICA's NEW GUIDELINES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL
CONSIDERATIONS
--Public Comments now being accepted for project in Central Vietnam
(Ta Trach Dam)--
New guidelines were recently enacted for the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), the aid agency in Japan that is responsible
for technical assistance and for supporting studies to prepare future
projects/programs. These guidelines were enacted on 1 April 2004 for
the purpose of ensuring that environmental and social factors are
appropriately considered in JICA operations. Though enacted in April,
the Guidelines for Environmental and Social Considerations (hereafter,
“the Guidelines”) came into full operation only in September, due to
the timing of submission of requests for aid from developing countries.
JICA provides assistance on a “request basis,” meaning that it reviews
requests from governments of developing countries for technical
assistance and assistance for preparation of development plans and
projects. These are the Official Development Aid (ODA) operations for
which JICA is responsible.
THREE IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS
There are three important characteristics of JICA's new Guidelines that
people interested in monitoring JICA projects should be aware of.
1. Information disclosure prior to decisions on whether or not to
provide aid:
Until these Guidelines were established, JICA did not disclose
information on projects/programs for which aid was requested by
developing countries until after the Japanese government decided to
provide official support. JICA explained it was necessary to maintain
confidentiality out of consideration for recipient governments. With
implementation of the new Guidelines, however, information must be
disclosed even before the Japanese Government decides to provide
assistance or not. Information about requests for aid for projects
expected to have significant environmental or social impacts (category A
projects) is now disclosed at the “request phase,” prior to a final
decision on aid by the Japanese Government. This information is listed
for 30 days on JICA’s website at the URL below.
<http://www.jica.go.jp/english/environment/category_a.html>
Currently, the list of requests for aid contains one project in the
Mekong Region--a study for the Ta Trach Dam, planned for Central Vietnam.
Another project of longstanding concern is a request for aid for a
feasibility study to construct a road through the mountains of Nepal.
Comments regarding these proposed projects can be sent to JICA through
their website. There is a link to a page through which comments can be
sent on the same URL above.
2. Studies and reports for projects in operation are now available on the web
Another important characteristic of these Guidelines is that JICA is now
required to make studies and reports available for projects already in
operation that are expected to have negative environmental and social
impacts. Such studies and reports include Preparatory Studies, Scoping
Reports, Draft Final Reports, and Final Reports. These studies are now
being made available on JICA's website. Public Comments are also
requested for these projects. To see a list of projects in operation
and the reports now available, see the following URL.
<http://www.jica.go.jp/english/environment/pro_asia.html>
Also for projects in operation, JICA established a complaints procedure
to ensure JICA's compliance with the new Guidelines. JICA will soon
begin a public application process to select an independent body to be
responsible for receiving and investigating claims. The time frame in
which JICA will accept claims through its complaints procedure is from
the time a project’s preparatory study report is disclosed through to
one month after the disclosure of the draft final report.
3. An Advisory Council now conducts detailed reviews of JICA's implementation
of the Guidelines
JICA established an Advisory Council, consisting of external experts
including academics, consultants and NGO staff. This Advisory Council
supports JICA's Office for Environmental and Social Considerations
Review to check whether or not JICA is implementing the Guidelines
appropriately. JICA will consult members of the Advisory Council on
the Scoping Reports and Draft Final Reports for projects expected to
have negative environmental and social impacts. Each member of the
Advisory Council will provide feedback in his/her area of expertise to
the Executive Director responsible for environmental concerns. Members
of the Advisory Council also discuss with JICA about what criteria and
aspects of aid requests should be subject to examination and provide
other advice as they see fit. Public comments submitted to JICA through
its website in regard to environmental and social impacts of JICA
projects will also be sent to members of the Advisory Council and made
public on JICA's website in Japanese.
A list of members of the Advisory Council is available at the following URL:
<http://www.jica.go.jp/environment/guideline/pdf/list_e.pdf>
VOICING CONCERNS EARLY
While JICA's new Guidelines are now in effect, in order to link the
Guidelines to the actual prevention of the kind of social and
environmental harm resulting from destructive projects we have seen to
date, it is crucial that local people and NGOs raise their concerns and
send information to JICA at this early stage in project planning. JICA
is beginning to take more initiative to gather concerns from local
people by calling for public comment through its website. While this is
not enough, especially for communities without access to internet or
literacy in English and Japanese, for those who can access the site, it
is a step which can be used to raise concerns about projects, even at a
stage early enough to stop the Japanese government from providing
support.
ODA OPERATIONS FOR WHICH JICA IS RESPONSIBLE
JICA is currently in charge of the following operations:
1. Studies to support planning for regional and sectoral development (Master
Plans)
2. Studies to support planning of specific projects (Feasibility Studies)
3. Preliminary studies for grant projects to be implemented by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
4. Implementation of Technical Assistance Projects, such as certain
kinds of studies and dispatch of experts
*****PROCESS BEHIND JICA's GUIDELINES*****
JICA's Guidelines for Environmental and Social Considerations were
established as a part of the overall reform of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in April 2004. From December 2002, a committee composed of
officials from relevant ministries, development consultants, university
professors, and NGOs met 17 times to finalize the Guidelines. The
possibility of project cancellation was clearly included in the
Guidelines, and respect for human rights and public participation are
emphasized more than they have in the past. Progress was also made in
the area of information disclosure. For projects expected to have
significant environmental and social impacts, for example, the
Guidelines require disclosure of information at the project request
stage. A complaints procedure was also established for cases in which
environmental or social damage occurs as a result of JICA’s failure to
comply with its Guidelines. The Guidelines have been translated into
English, Spanish, French, and Chinese, and can be downloaded at
<http://www.jica.go.jp/english/environment/index.html>.
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