Agencies

Japan International Cooperation Agency Kyrgyz Republic Office

Japan International Cooperation Agency Kyrgyz Republic Office

Brief information about JICA

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is the implementing agency of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) of the Government of Japan. Since the time of its establishment (1974) it has contributed to socioeconomic development and human resources development by facilitating independent and sustainable development in developing countries. Until October 2008 JICA mainly was engaged in the implementation of technical cooperation with developing countries.
It dispatches highly experienced and skilled Japanese experts to developing countries that satisfy the country’s requirements. For more effective technology transfer JICA transfers the necessary equipment to those countries.
In addition, JICA dispatches various groups of specialists to study, train, and formulate development plans for developing countries. For less developed countries JICA, in particular, implements basic study and promotes grant aid projects such as building schools, hospitals, and other facilities. Moreover, JICA dispatches volunteers and senior volunteers to developing countries. In the event of natural disasters, JICA offers emergency relief to affected countries. Further, engineers, highly qualified specialists, and government employees from developing countries are invited to Japan to participate in JICA training courses in a wide range of fields. In connection with the unstable international situation, JICA offers different areas of cooperation for developing countries. In October 2008 JICA was reborn as a new agency responsible not only for technical cooperation but also for Grant Aid as well as for yen loans from the Official Development Assistance (ODA) of Japan and became the second largest donor organization after the World Bank.

JICA activities cover fields such as agriculture, social infrastructure building, poverty reduction, public health, et cetera. Also, JICA works to control infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and supports countries transitioning to a market economy. They also work toward reforms of the legal system, peace-building, and post-conflict rehabilitation in countries like Afghanistan and East Timor. Through the participation of various segments of the population, including scientific communities, government, and non-government organizations JICA will continue its activities in the fields mentioned above.

JICA activity in the Kyrgyz Republic

JICA Analytical work was conducted to determine the priority areas for further cooperation. Thus, the overall goal was set as economic development and poverty eradication by strengthening export competitiveness and promoting business. 1) Agriculture and Business Promotion, and 2) Development of transport Infrastructure were selected as priority areas. 
These directions and those that had priority before, have been reflected in the following JICA programs in the Kyrgyz Republic:

1. Acceptance of trainees

From 1993 to the present day more than 1400 citizens (primarily government officials) of the Kyrgyz Republic were trained in Japan in different fields: finance, management, jurisprudence, public health, taxation, ecology, water-energy resources, rural development, etc. The JICA Alumni Association was established in September 2009.

2. Dispatch of volunteers

JICA volunteers are divided into two categories: Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (ranging in age from 20 to 39) as well as “Senior Volunteers” (ages 40 to 69). At present, the volunteers are working in the following oblasts of Kyrgyzstan: Chui, Issyk-Kul, Naryn, and Bishkek city. They work in different fields: Japanese language, music, physical training, computer technologies, occupational therapy, community development, etc. 159 Japanese volunteers visited Kyrgyzstan from 2000 to April 2013.

3. Technical Cooperation Projects

The project “Kyrgyz Republic - Japan Center for Human Development” (Kyrgyz-Japan Center) started in April 2003. This project is being implemented in Asian countries with transition market economies such as Viet Nam, Laos, Mongolia, Uzbekistan,  and others. The function of the centers is human resource development to support the transition to a market economy by conducting courses in business, IT, Japanese language, and by promoting cultural exchange to achieve mutual understanding between cultures, which is the main purpose of an international exchange and technical cooperation between two countries. The dispatch of the Agriculture Investment Policy Adviser is planned for 2013.

Apart from that, the implementation of the technical cooperation project: “Training of IT specialists in the Kyrgyz Republic” (the National Information Technology Center was directed to develop both the human resources and IT industry in the Kyrgyz Republic) started training highly qualified specialists in information technologies in 2004.

What is more, the “Community Empowerment Project through Small Business Promotion by One Village – One Product Approach in Issyk-Kul Region”,  which targets rural people’s capacity development, has been implemented starting in 2007 in cooperation with the Issyk-Kul Oblast State Government Administration. Additionally, this year, two more technical cooperation projects: “Inclusion of persons with disabilities into the society” and “Project for the Support of the Dissemination of Biogas Technologies in the Kyrgyz Republic” started.

The project “Improvement of Road Maintenance Capacity Building in the Kyrgyz Republic“ was started in 2008 jointly with the Ministry of Transport and Communication of the Kyrgyz Republic (MOTC). In addition to that, at the beginning of 2013, an Agreement between MOTC and JICA was signed on the launch of the new Technical Cooperation Project “The Project for Capacity Development for Maintenance Management of Bridges and Tunnels”.  The joint forest management approach is being spread out under The project for the Support of Joint Forest Management in the Kyrgyz Republic” which started in 2009.

The project “Project for Promotion of Exportable Vegetable Seed Production in the Kyrgyz Republic” was launched in June 2013. The project is designed to contribute to seed industry development by strengthening public and private sectors by improving inspection and certification capacity as well as farmers’ production skills, and capacity for international seed business to meet international demand.

4. Dispatch of Experts

A long-term expert (more than a year) was dispatched to the Ministry of Economic Regulation of the Kyrgyz Republic for policy-making to develop industry in Kyrgyzstan. In addition, short-term experts (less than 1 year) were dispatched for barcoding, development of the textile industry, and food processing. Experts from the National Employment Service of Japan were invited to conduct training in public service to reform human resources management in the government system. Road Administration Advisor has been dispatched to MOTC since 2008. In 2010 an expert on information-communication technologies development was dispatched with the aim of transferring Japanese technology and skills.

5. Development Study

Development studies are assistance that creates master plans which are crucial to improving the situation in a developing country. Currently, three development studies have been done in the Kyrgyz Republic – “The Study on Integrated Development Plan of Issyk-Kul Zone in the Kyrgyz Republic” (2003-2006), “Study of effective management in agriculture and processing industry in the Kyrgyz Republic” (2004-2007), and “Study on Improvement of Urban Transportation” (2011-2013). In the first Study, a master plan for the tourism industry and other related industries in the Issyk-Kul region was worked out, taking into consideration of environmental protection and the views of the local population. In the second study, an Action Plan aimed at improving the situation in the field of agriculture by improving the marketing and processing industries was developed and submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic. The third study’s purpose is to prepare an Urban Transportation Master Plan up to 2023 to meet future traffic demands and launch immediate countermeasures taking into consideration the rapid increase in the population and vehicles in the city.

6. Grant Aid

For assistance in improving health care in the Kyrgyz Republic the Government of Japan transferred medical equipment for the following projects: Medical Equipment for the State Children’s Hospital (1995); Up-Grading of the Emergency Medical System (1998); Improvement of the Medical Equipment of Obstetric and Gynecological Hospitals (2002); Improvement of Child Health Care in the Rural Areas (2003). The grant for the Improvement of Program Production Equipment of the Kyrgyz Republic National TV and Radio Broadcasting Corporation was awarded in 2005. The road maintenance equipment for Naryn, Issyk-Kul, and Chui oblasts of the Kyrgyz Republic was supplied in 2007 and 2011. In addition, the implementation of the “Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resources Development Scholarship” (JDS) Program started in 2007 with the purpose of allowing students to get master’s degrees from programs at leading universities in Japan. JICA promoted the necessary preliminary study to award the above-mentioned Grant Aid and implemented those projects. Moreover, JICA was the responsible organization for the preliminary study to award a grant to increase food production. (2KR)

The project on “Reconstruction of bridges in Chui oblast” under which three bridges (on the Alamedin river (42 km), Ala-Archa river (30 km), and Ken-Bulun river (25 km)) on an international route were reconstructed was completed in 2011. The Project for the Improvement of the Equipment for Road Maintenance in Chui and Issyk-Kul oblasts was implemented in 2010-2011.  In addition to that, at the beginning of 2013 the Grand Agreement on “The Project on Reconstruction of Kok-Art River Bridge on Bishkek-Osh road” was signed between the Government of KR and JICA. 

The Grant Aid Project for “Provision of Judo Equipment to the State Agency of Physical Culture and Sports under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic” was implemented in 2012-2013.

Other information resources about JICA in the Kyrgyz Republic and its Projects:

• JICA issues a bi-monthly electronic newsletter in both the Russian and English languages. The newsletter is directed at informing readers about JICA activities. Those who wish to subscribe individually to the Newsletter can send a message with the word “subscribe” in the subject line to the following e-mail address: jicakg-info@jica.go.jp. The Newsletter also can be read on the Japan Center web site www.krjc.kg (reference on the upper part of the home page of the site) To get more information about JICA activity in the world go to the website www.jica.go.jp
• To get more information about JICA activity in the Kyrgyz Republic click the website www.donors.kg or www.jica.go.jp in English (Countries – Asia – Central Asia and the Caucasus – Kyrgyz)
• To get more information about the Japan Center go to the website www.krjc.kg
• To get more information about the IT Center to go to the web site www.it.kg
• To get more information about the JICA Alumni Association go to the website www.jpn.org.kg
• JICA Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/JICAKyrgyzRepublic/

Project for Market-Oriented Milk Production in Chuy Province

JICA Grant Aid Project

JICA Technical Cooperation Project

The Project for Avalanche Protection on Bishkek-Osh Road

International Main Roads Improvement Project

One village one product project