MFA Press Statement: The 6th Japan International Cooperation Agency - ASEAN Regional Cooperation Meeting, 6-8 June 2007, Singapore

THE 6TH JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY (JICA) - ASEAN REGIONAL COOPERATION MEETING (JARCOM 6), 6-8 JUNE 2007, SINGAPORE

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will jointly organise the Sixth JICA-ASEAN Regional Cooperation Meeting (JARCOM) from 6 to 8 June 2007 in Singapore. Senior officials from ASEAN countries, ASEAN Secretariat and Timor-Leste, as well as national representatives of JICA and JARCOM Secretariat will attend the meeting.

The JARCOM is a needs-based project formulation mechanism to promote ASEAN integration through regional cooperation among member countries under the technical assistance framework of JICA. Besides reviewing its annual activities, the Sixth JARCOM will exchange views on development initiatives in Southeast Asia. Representative from the United Nations Development Programme Regional Centre in Bangkok will also be present to share new directions and strategies for South-South Cooperation at the Meeting.

Singapore and JICA share long-standing cooperation. Since 1994, both sides have jointly organised training programmes for developing countries under the Japan-Singapore Partnership Programme for the 21st Century (JSPP21), which is part of the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP). (Please see Annex A for further information on the SCP and JARCOM.)

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
5 JUNE 2007

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Annex A

About the Singapore Cooperation Programme
Singapore's technical assistance programme is based on the training and development of human resource in competencies useful to developing countries. As a country whose only resource is its people, Singapore believes that human resource development is vital for economic and social progress. Singapore itself has benefited from training provided by other countries and international organisations. Through the SCP, Singapore shares its development experiences with other developing countries.

The SCP was formally established in 1992 to bring together under one framework the various technical assistance programmes offered by Singapore. Over the years, the range and number of training programmes have been increased to meet the training needs of developing countries. To date, Singapore has sponsored training courses and study visits for over 48,000 officials and individuals from 166 developing countries in the Asia-Pacific, Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean.

More details are available on the Singapore Cooperation Website at www.scp.gov.sg.
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About the JICA-ASEAN Regional Cooperation Meeting

The purpose of JICA-ASEAN Regional Cooperation Meeting (JARCOM) is to facilitate identification and formulation of intra-ASEAN cooperation under the various technical cooperation programmes between JICA and the ASEAN member countries. These projects are aimed at building relevant capacity in the ASEAN countries, especially the newer members such as Cambodia, Lao DPR, Myanmar and Vietnam. The ASEAN countries usually volunteer to host the annual JARCOM. At the 5th JARCOM in Myanmar, Singapore initiated to host the 2007 meeting. [For more information on JARCOM, please contact Ms Michiyo Morohashi, Project Formulation Adviser, JICA Singapore Office, at DID: (65) 6833 9216.]
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