Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) has sought to promote coordinated development responses in Asia in reaction to a range of crises, including climate change, natural disasters and, most recently, COVID-19.
Connecting ministries and organizations across its Asian partners, Japan’s efforts have also focused on the development of cross-sectoral approaches, for example, climate-focused urban planning and investment in building ex-ante resilience to natural disasters.
The speakers outline the impacts of these coordinated initiatives across Asia, both prior to, and during the pandemic. In particular, they will highlight the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s engagement with water utilities such as the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Lahore and outline some of the creative measures that have been developed to help limit the impact of COVID-19.
Participants
Megumi Muto, Deputy Director, Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Syed Zahid Aziz, Managing Director, Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Lahore, Pakistan
Chair: Gareth Price, Senior Research Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House
