1. THEME

Population and Environmental Management in Urban Planning – Domestic Waste and Greening (Stage II)

2. BACKGROUND

AUICK workshop training aims to produce the output of increased capacity within city planners and administrators in Asian medium-sized cities to plan and address population and development issues.
Second-stage workshops are to be conducted from 2009, for senior officials of AUICK Associate Cities (AACs) who have attended previous AUICK workshops. The participants are to return to Kobe together with local academic experts, to receive on-site training related to their AUICK workshop formulated Action Plans at the Kobe City Government. This requires the necessary time for the formulation of effective partnerships among the participants and their respective academic experts.

At the First 2006 and 2008 Workshops, senior officials of AACs in charge of environmental or solid waste management were introduced to basic/general information pertaining to the topic of environmental management in urban planning. They each developed concrete Action Plans for urban greening and environmental programs and effective waste management, which they were expected to implement upon returning to their cities, in cooperation with their colleagues and experts from local universities.

AUICK has found that the action plan strategy was an effective outcome oriented method, since it puts the main emphasis on the application of lessons learned from the workshop in the participants’ actual work environment.

3. AIMS

The First 2009 Workshop aims to develop the Action Plans made by the five invited cities, through the return to Kobe from each city of a participant of the Fiｒｓｔ 2006 or Fiｒｓｔ 2008 Workshop, accompanied by an academic expert from his or her local university. 

The workshop will provide on-site training on some actual Kobe City programs which are facilitated through cooperation among private, public and academic sectors. The workshop participants and accompanying academic experts are expected to jointly review the Action Plans which have already been formulated and partly implemented in the AACs by the participants. This is so that the Action Plans can be reformulated for more effective implementation through cooperation among private, public and academic sectors. The participants and academic experts will also share their experiences with Kobe City officials, as well as with other participants. Through more practical knowledge and skills, as well as collaboration with academic experts, the participants will return to their cities to implement their re-developed Action Plans, further improving the welfare of citizens of the AACs. Ultimately, the Workshop is expected to foster lasting collaboration between the city administration and the academic community to solve population-related issues in the urban setting. 

The workshop is designed to stimulate the exchange of information and experience among the participants themselves. Therefore, they are expected to participate actively (in English) in discussions, presentations and practical training during the workshop period.

4. INVITED CITIES

AUICK Associate Cities (one city official and one academic expert from each city):
Chittagong (Bangladesh), Surabaya (Indonesia), Olongapo (Philippines), Khon Kaen (Thailand), Danang (Vietnam)

5. LANGUAGE

English (Interpretation will be provided for lectures given in Japanese.)

6. PERIOD

Sunday 17 May – Saturday 23 May 2009 (7 days)

7. SCHEDULE/PROGRAM

See APPENDIX A

8. APPLICATION PROCEDURES

8.1. Qualification of Applicant

1. The applicant should be a city official who participated in the First 2006 Workshop or the First 2008 Workshop, and officially nominated by the mayor or the senior-most administrator (hereafter “nominator”) of the city to which the applicant belongs. Please note that AUICK has requested the mayor of your City to nominate a qualified senior city official in the request letter of nomination from the Chairman of AUICK to the mayor.
2. If neither of the previous workshop participants is not in the position related to the Action Plans developed by them at the above AUICK workshops, the nominator should nominate another city official who has taken over the implementation of the Action Plans.
3. The applicant is required to be willing and able to remain in the position of city official in the relevant field in the city for at least 5 years.
4. The applicant should be accompanied by an academic expert, who is expected to collaborate in implementing the Action Plan. The nominator should nominate the accompanying academic expert from a local academic institution. If the nominator cannot find any appropriate academic expert in a local academic institution, the nominator can nominate an appropriate expert from the private sector.
5. If the applicant does not have a sufficient command of both spoken and written English, the academic expert should act as an interpreter for the applicant.
6. The applicant and the accompanying expert should be physically and mentally fit to participate in all aspects of the workshop. Regrettably, pregnant women will not be accepted, as the workshop program contains some site visits that demand physical exertion inappropriate for pregnant women.
7. Word processing skill is a requisite, since the applicant is expected to re-develop his/her Action Plan with a computer during the workshop. The applicant is also expected to prepare his/her Action Plan using PowerPoint.

8.2. Participant Nomination

The Mayor or his representative is requested to nominate a qualified city official and his/her accompanying academic expert, and submit the following necessary documents for both city official participant and academic expert participant to AUICK by 31 March 2009.

8.3. Notification of Acceptance

After careful consideration by AUICK with the consultation of the relevant UNFPA Country Office and AUICK International Advisory Committee member, the final decision on the participant selection will be notified to the nominator.

8.4. Procedures for Entry to Japan

In parallel with the notification of acceptance to the nominator, AUICK will send the necessary documents for visa application directly to the nominee. The nominee is requested to immediately apply for an entry visa at the nearest Japanese Consular Office.

9. INVITATIONAL CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPANT

AUICK will provide the participant with the followings. Other expenses must be borne by the participant.

1. Expenses for obtaining a medical certificate and a visa.

   Note: The expenses will be reimbursed in Japanese currency during the workshop on condition that the participant requests the reimbursement with the original receipts issued directly from the relevant venders. The transportation and postage expenses for obtaining visas or medical certificates will not be reimbursed. The expense for obtaining a passport will not be reimbursed.

2. Economy-class round trip airline ticket between the nearest airport to each participant's residence and Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Japan. The airline, dates and times of the flights will be decided and arranged by AUICK.

   Note: The ticket will be delivered to the participant through the relevant local travel agent. Airport taxes and the other fees will be paid through travel agents. If the participant is required to pay any other tax or fees at departure, the expenses will be reimbursed in Japanese currency during the workshop on condition that the participant requests the reimbursement with the original receipts issued directly from the relevant venders.

3. Travel expenses between KIX and the accommodation in Japan.
4. Accommodation in Japan.
5. Living allowance of JPY 6,200 per day for meals and incidental expenses during the workshop in Japan.
6. Short-term insurance to cover injuries or illness from the time of entry to Japan until departure.

   Note: Preexisting illnesses and dental treatment are not covered by the insurance.

7. Internal transportation for the workshop programs.

10. RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTICIPANT

The participant is required to:

1. Abide by Japanese law and regulations during their stay.
2. Follow the regulations and schedule of the workshop prepared by AUICK and the Kobe City Government.
3. Attend the workshop unaccompanied.
4. Depart Japan upon the termination of the workshop.

   Note: The visa issued will not allow the participant to stay in Japan beyond the workshop period.

5. Gather the required data on their cities and submit the report before the specified date.

   Note: Submitted data and report will be integrated into AUICK's web-based database and be open to public.

11. ORGANIZERS

11.1. Asian Urban Information Center of Kobe (AUICK)
         Kobe International Center for Cooperation and Communication (KIC)

         Kobe International House 20F, 8-1-6, Goko-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0087 JAPAN
         Tel: +81-78-291-8031
         Fax: +81-78-291-0691
         E-mail: office@auick.org
         URL: http://www.auick.org

11.2. Kobe City Government (International Affairs, Culture and Tourism Bureau)

         6-5-1, Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-8570 JAPAN
         Tel: +81-78-322-5010
         Fax: +81-78-322-2382