Japan working with Indonesian partners<\/p>\n
To help the people of Aceh and Nias hit by the unprecedented
\ntsunami and earthquake, Japan has been mobilizing various forms
\nof assistance since immediately after the disaster.<\/p>\n
This
\nassistance includes the dispatch of disaster relief medical
\nteams, the dispatch of Japan Self-Defense Forces to support
\nhumanitarian relief efforts through medical and transportation
\nactivities, the disbursement of grant assistance worth US$146
\nmillion to the Indonesian government and grant contributions
\nworth $250 million to international organizations for their
\nactivities in all countries affected by the tsunami, including
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Japan is working hard to bring effective assistance to the
\naffected people as soon as possible, while maintaining a high
\nlevel of transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n
As for the bilateral grant of worth $146 million, the
\ngovernment of Japan disbursed the funds in January to a bank
\naccount held by the government of Indonesia specifically
\nestablished for this purpose. Since then, the Japanese government
\nhas been engaged in project preparations, together with its
\nIndonesian partners. Although it naturally takes time to prepare
\nprojects while respecting the principles mentioned above, the
\nJapanese government is well advanced even compared to other
\nbilateral and multilateral donors.<\/p>\n
In fact, it has been agreed by Indonesia and Japan to proceed
\nwith 13 projects, among which are supports for the provision of
\nmedicines, for improvements to the west coast road between
\nMeulaboh and Calang, for water supply and sanitation in Banda
\nAceh, and for a Banda Aceh land title recovery operation. Calls
\nfor bidding and the contracting process have been engaged
\nsuccessively for each of these projects. We are pleased that many
\nIndonesian companies are participating in the bidding.<\/p>\n
In order to maximize the impact of its assistance, the
\nJapanese government aims to support the overall strategy set by
\nthe Indonesian government, as well as to maintain close donor
\ncoordination.<\/p>\n
Therefore, we have gone through an extremely complicated
\nprocess with our Indonesian partners to prepare projects, due to
\nthe unprecedented magnitude and cross-sectoral nature of the
\ndamage, and also due to the scale and variety of assistance
\nmobilized through different channels.<\/p>\n
We are working in line with the Indonesian master plan for
\nreconstruction developed through consultation with the local
\ncommunities, and we are also in close contact with the Aceh
\nReconstruction Agency established at the end of April for
\nstrengthening coordination and for facilitating project
\nimplementation.<\/p>\n
Highly aware of the need for transparency and accountability,
\nand in order to support proper project preparation and
\nprocurement, the Indonesian government has contracted with the
\nJapan International Cooperation System (JICS) as the procurement
\nagent for this grant; the JICS will request the payment of fees
\nbased on the contract after each procurement procedure is
\ncompleted. The role of the JICS is very much appreciated by our
\nIndonesian partners, who recognize the importance of the correct
\nhandling of aid funds.<\/p>\n
AYAKO SHIMIZU, Information and Culture Section, Embassy of Japan, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/japan-working-with-indonesian-partners-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }