ISLAMABAD – The Government of Pakistan and Japan have signed a landmark Grant Agreement worth JPY 326 million ($2.1 million) to bolster the Human Resource Development Scholarship Program (JDS) 2024.
In a ceremonial exchange of notes and signing ceremony convened at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Mr. Wada Mitsuhiro, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Pakistan, signed the Record of Discussions & Exchange of Notes. Saeed Ashraf Siddiqi, Joint Secretary representing the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Mr. Naoaki Miyata, Chief Representative of JICA Pakistan, signed the Grant Agreement. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the ministry.
Japan, through JICA, has extended this generous grant to Pakistan, marking the 7th instalment of the JDS project since its inception in 2018. This year, the grant will provide seventeen (17) scholarships for Master’s programs and one (1) for a PhD/Doctorate program at prestigious universities in Japan for young Federal Civil Service and Ex-Cadre officers of Pakistan.
Since 2018, six (6) batches, each comprising around 18 participants, have benefited from the JDS scholarships. This initiative has significantly enhanced the capacity and performance of young officers who play a crucial role in the socio-economic development of Pakistan. Additionally, Japan frequently invites Pakistani government officials to participate in various short-term training courses in Japan.
Dr. Kazim Niaz, Federal Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, expressed profound gratitude to the Government and people of Japan for their unwavering support, ensuring all necessary facilitation for furthering meaningful cooperation between the two nations.
Mitsuhiro WADA, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Pakistan and Mr. Naoaki Miyata, JICA Chief assured of their commitment to work closely with the Government of Pakistan to further strengthen the friendly ties and bilateral cooperation.
JDS is designed to support the social and economic development of the country by providing government officials with the opportunity to obtain Master’s or Doctoral degree in Japan with aims to enhance their knowledge in public administration and to strengthen relationship between Japan and Pakistan. The participants of JDS program engaging in the formulation and implementation of such policies will be enrolled at the partner universities in Japan and are expected to acquire further knowledge in their field while learning about the Japanese culture and traditions.
Mr. WADA highlighted that “ This project supports “People First”, the first pillar of the Pakistan Vision 2025, which places developing social and human capital at the center of sustainable development in the country. The Government of Japan fully understands the importance of social and human capital development in public administration that can effectively address the multi-dimensional development challenges in this country. “
Mr. MIYATA while speaking at the event said “Since the very beginning of Japan ODA, which is 70th anniversary in this year, training program has been delivered and from Pakistan, around 7,000 officials participated to the training. We desire that all JDS fellows together with those ex-trainees contribute to the development of Pakistan and improve the relationship between Pakistan and Japan into the future”
