Environmental Sustainability and Decent Work
ILO and Japan International Cooperation Agency strengthen their partnership to promote waste management in the Pacific
The Memorandum of Cooperation signed between ILO and JICA will contribute to improve solid waste management in Pacific Island countries through a stronger partnership in the field of occupational safety and health in solid waste management and green jobs.
Many of the countries in Pacific Island countries face major challenges in the field of solid waste management because of the few available locations for solid waste disposal due to the limitation of land and many also lack expertise in proper waste management. JICA has supported efforts to solve such problems in the region since 2000, and over the five years from 2011 to 2016, JICA carried out the Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management Phase I (J-PRISM I) in 11 countries in Pacific Island countries. The efforts of the project included formulating solid waste management strategies for the region overall, and providing regional training for cultivating human resources capable of carrying out proper solid waste management
In J-PRISM I, it was determined that occupational health in solid waste management such as waste collection and recycling were as significant as environmental health, and JICA collaborated with the ILO to conduct participatory training rooted in the field of occupational safety and health.
In J-PRISM II, which began in February 2017, the “green jobs” component** was added with the aim of reducing the environmental burden while maintaining business profits, and the Memorandum of Cooperation was signed to expand and strengthen joint training and seminar cooperation with the ILO.
It is hoped that partnering with other organizations active in the region will result in more effective support and smoother project implementation. As an international target for waste disposal was established for the first time in the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015, further solutions are being sought for problems. In this context, JICA aims to further contribute to solving the enormous challenges of solid waste management in Pacific Island countries and is developing efforts to do so.
*Nine target countries: Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu
**The term “green jobs” is a general term for jobs that build a sustainable society. Advocated by the ILO, they are expected to both conserve the environment and create employment.