To align the demands for technical cooperation, the City of São Paulo participated in a meeting with representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) last Wednesday (02). The videoconference was attended by the Municipal Secretary for International Relations, Marta Suplicy, the Assistant Secretary for Green and Environment, Carlos Eduardo Guimarães de Vasconcellos, the Assistant Secretary for Subprefectures, Ana Carolina Lafemina, and the Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Urbana e Obras, Marcos Augusto Alves Garcia; JICA's Deputy Director in Brasilia, Shinji Sato, and JICA Brazil's Senior Project Coordinator, Kimura Nobuyuki participated. The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Secretary for International Relations, Ambassador Débora Barenboim-Salej, the Director of Funding and Funding Management at SP Obras, Evandro Torquato Sobrado, the Coordinator of the SP Obras Project Center, Antonia Ribeiro Guglielmi, o Vice-Consul for Economic Affairs of the Consulate General of Japan in São Paulo, Naoki Nakano, and the Advisor of the Economics Department of the Consulate General of Japan in São Paulo, Marcia Kuga.

During the meeting, the participants discussed possible cooperation in micro-drainage projects, requalification of parks, environment, and sustainability. This was the third meeting between the City of São Paulo and Japanese representatives to advance with proposals for bilateral cooperation. In March 2021, Secretary Marta Suplicy met with the Consul General of Japan in São Paulo, Ryosuke Kuwana, to prospect a partnership for the development of basic sanitation and innovation projects in the municipality. In April, the first meeting with JICA took place.

JICA is the Japanese government agency responsible for implementing Official Development Assistance (ODA), which supports the growth and socio-economic stability of developing countries. In São Paulo, the agency has already supported water management and public safety initiatives in the city of São Paulo. Between 2007 and 2008, JICA developed a water loss reduction control project in partnership with the cities of São Paulo, Guarujá, and São José dos Campos, using the best technique in Japan to analyze the situation of losses and elaborate concrete measures for the reduction. From 2008 to 2011, JICA implemented the principle of community policing through the Koban system throughout the state of São Paulo, through the Military Police.