A training programme for 26 senior representatives of the Ministry of Oil of the Republic of Iraq was held between 16 and 29 March 2013. Participants comprised technicians specialized in engineering, geology, and chemistry, who are working in different oil and refinery companies of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil. Focusing on Leadership and Project Planning, the programme was undertaken in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and included 9 days in Hiroshima, followed by 3 days in Tokyo.
The Hiroshima-based elements of the programme included a series of presentations and practical exercises undertaken by participants, focusing on their roles as leaders within their departments and organisations. This was augmented by a Study Tour to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and an audience with an A-bomb Survivor, or hibakusha, so as to outline the events of August 6 1945, and the policies and processes undertaken in the post-conflict reconstruction of Hiroshima. Participants also visited the World Heritage Itsukushima Shinto Shrine. In addition, Study Tours took place to the Naka Ward Incineration Plant, a showcase community-involvement public works project, as well as to the Hiroshima Prefectural Government Training Center. A meeting also took place with the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture, the Honourable Hidehiko Yuzaki.
As the programme shifted from Hiroshima, the group undertook a Study Tour to the Idemitsu Oil Refinery in Aichi Prefecture, before an event hosted at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq to Japan in Tokyo. The Ambassador of Iraq to Japan, His Excellency Lukman Faily, made a presentation focused upthe themes of the workshop, namely leadership and managerial skills, relating them to the realities on the ground in Iraq. (A summary of the event at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq to Japan is provided on the Embassy website.)
The sessions covered themes throughout the programme included:
- Leading People
- Leading Teams
- Effective Management of Change
- Stakeholder Identification and Integration
- Action Plan Development
- Post-conflict Reconstruction and the Civil Service
- Capacity Development of Governmental Staff
- Post-war Reconstruction in Japan
Study Tours in Tokyo were made to the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), to examine the present and future states of Japan’s oil, gas, and energy policies.
UNITAR would like to thank the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Ministry of Oil of the Republic of Iraq, and all supporting stakeholders for this successful collaboration.