Hot on the heels of the recent Asian Regional Conference in Penang, Malaysia, Let’s Do It Asia continue their plans for the 2024 World Cleanup Day campaign. We had the pleasure this week of interviewing Takao Asai (WCD Japan Country Leader) and Agustina Iskandar (Regional Director of Asia) to ask them more about their eagerly anticipated Leaders’ Academy event, due to take place soon in Japan.
When and where will the Let’s Do It Asia Leaders’ Academy take place?
The Let’s Do It Asia Leaders’ Academy will take place in Osaka, Japan, from Thursday 18 July through to Sunday 21 July. We are very excited to be the hosts this year, as it is the very first time that we will have a Leaders’ Academy in Japan.
What will be the key objectives of the Leaders’s Academy?
We have three principal objectives for the event. Firstly, to reconnect with, and build closer cooperation between, the various Country Leaders from within the Asia region. Secondly, we seek to understand the challenges faced in each country within Asia. Thirdly, we want to provide an opportunity for the sharing of best practices and build a stronger partnership network across the entire Asia region.
Who is invited to attend?
All LDI Asia Leaders, and their respective team members, are invited to attend. Local and regional Partners can also participate.
Which Keynote Speakers, or external Subject Matter Experts, have you invited?
We will have three main guest keynote speakers from outside our network. One is from an academy, another is from the regional government, and the third is from a local NGO. Although it is too early at this stage to disclose the speakers’ names, we are excited about them sharing their relevant and specific expertise with our audience. We will announce full details when they are confirmed!
How can people register and what costs are covered/not covered and what are any deadlines (e.g. any ‘early bird’ discounts)?
We will send out the official announcement, including the registration form, by the end of this week. Due to the budget limitation, only 1 participant from each country in Asia will receive the complimentary hotel accommodation. We will give preference to Country Leaders, or core team members, or Partners who are actively contributing to the LDI/WCD movement in each country, subject to each Country Leaders’ decision. Meals are covered for the days of the event, although flight tickets to and from Japan need to be paid by each participant.
What kind of events/workshops/discussions/panels do you have planned?
We have three specific workshops planned. Firstly, a group workshop for mapping waste issues and solutions in Asia. Secondly, a group workshop for how Country Leaders within the Asia region can support each other and collaborate across countries.
Finally, we plan to host a “climate fresk” workshop! If you don’t already know what that is, Climate Fresk is a powerful tool for providing a quality climate education. It is accessible to anyone and can be scaled quickly within an organisation or community. In just 3 hours, the collaborative workshop teaches the fundamental science behind climate change and empowers participants to take action.
What kind of welcome can people expect from the WCD Japan team, and Japan in general?
Do not expect too much, especially as July is the hottest season in Japan! (A very warm welcome then – Ed.) It will, however, be too late in the year to see the world-famous cherry blossoms, as they unfortunately occur in April.
That said, we will take you to some places where you can see how the government and companies are tackling the waste and how we live together with nature using principles inherited from the old days.
And, of course, you will be able to enjoy the local cuisine and culture!
Do you have any side events planned, or other extra-curricular activities?
We will have some outside activities, as mentioned above, and we will also be organising a local cleanup activity as well.
Additionally, we plan to arrange an optional tour to visit the Kamikatsu village, which is famous for its Zero Waste Village Program, something we all can look forward to doing!
Who is the organisational team behind the Leaders’ Academy?
Agustina Iskandar Crombach (Regional Director of Asia), Takao Asai (Country Leader, Japan), Chun Hui Suen (Country Leader, Singapore), Andy Bahari (Country Leader, Indonesia), Juanita Ho (Country Leader, Taiwan) and other members from the Let’s Do It Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Singapore teams.
What difference do you think inclusion on the UN Calendar of International Days & Weeks will make to the World Cleanup Day 2024 campaign in Japan itself – what, if anything, might you be doing differently, and has there already been a positive benefit of inclusion felt there?
Inclusion on the UN calendar definitely makes World Cleanup Day more reliable and trustworthy. We revealed during the Earth Day Tokyo event that 20 September is the UN-accredited World Cleanup Day, which startled people in a good way and made people start listening to our story!
We also saw the same responses from governmental organisations, which is great, because one of our objectives for this year is to involve more of the public sector. I believe the power of the World Cleanup Day listed on the UN calendar makes big changes in terms of people’s attitudes to waste generation in general, and to mismanaged waste specifically.
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