Public Participation, Value Conflict and the Politics of IA - Session II, Presentation 1

JICA's Challenge of Creating a Peer Review System

Economic growth for welfare, wellbeing and sustainability.

USA has 60-80,000 EIAs

Japan 70 EIAs

 

No concise EIA has been conducted in Japanese system even though it has a screening system.

Only huge projects like high speed rail, dams, power plants, express ways.

 

Why is Japan so different?

Japanese system not enough to support sustainable development.

IA is a way to control human actions.

Proponents both public and private hac even reluctant to do EIAs.

...

 

JICA meetings are open to the public and published on website.

Before 2008 JICA had a technical role, after it role expanded all Yen Loan, Grant Aid (half) and all of technical cooperation as part o fits international cooperation role.

Required a more advanced system to consider environmental and social issues.

• Assist towards sustainable society
• Work throughout the project cycle
• Advisory committee for reviewing
• Objection system for compliance

The process revised:

• Advisory committee meetings involving academics, NGOs, industry and public officials.
• Very transparent process (see above) - draft was open to the public, inviting feedback
• All projects should be screened
• Needed to coordinate the merged organisations

 

Major characteristics of revised process:

• Every scheme applied to GL
• Preparatory study for cooperation
• Application of SEA
• More advanced inmate on disclosure and public participation
• Compliance monitoring
• ...

 

A code of conduct developed similar to IAIA:

• Key point - refi to provide services if asked to develop a biased analysis to met a predetermined result.

 

Need this kind of mindset to make the word sustainable.