Ex-U.N. Official Runs Japanese Aid Agency

Some government and business leaders might dream of playing golf or traveling abroad after retirement, but 81-year-old Sadako Ogata chose instead to manage one of the world's biggest bilateral aid agencies.

Ms. Ogata, who headed the Geneva-based Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1991 through 2000, is president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which dispenses Japanese government overseas development assistance.

Sadako Ogata

The JICA's role had been limited to providing technical assistance to developing countries. But on Oct. 1, the agency absorbed the low-interest-yen loan operations of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and took over part of the Foreign Ministry's grant aid program, moving it well up the ranks of the world's biggest bilateral development assistance agencies, with 1,600 staffers and $10.3 billion of available financial resources. The integration will allow the organization to speed up such projects as constructing a port in Vietnam and helping Indonesia develop policies to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.

Ms. Ogata, whose previous U.N. experience focused on humanitarian crises in such countries as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Rwanda in the 1990s, calls the period "the turbulent decade." She says her on-the-scene experiences putting aid programs in place in such global hot spots convinced her of the need to expand the number of JICA staffers on the ground. The percentage of its staffers outside Japan has grown to half from 30% when she took over in 2003.

Ayai Tomisawa sat down with Ms. Ogata in her office in Tokyo. The transcript of the interview has been edited.

WSJ: What are the differences in your roles at UNHCR and JICA?

Ms. Ogata: When I headed UNHCR, I was engaged in humanitarian assistance, which means that we took immediate steps for the security and livelihood of people who were displaced because of wars, conflicts and political differences. The primary task of an aid agency such as JICA isn't to immediately secure the safety of people in complex situations, but to rebuild a country that has gone through conflicts or wars. We help developing countries establish better economic and social conditions.

WSJ: Is your organization's plan to open a field office in Iraq by next spring one such example?

Ms. Ogata: We've been helping Iraq during the conflict in an indirect way because of concerns that the security situation back then would expose our civilian workers to danger. Now the situation is stabilizing so it's best that we go in.

WSJ: What kind of background do you want your staffers to have? Do you expect them to have master's degrees?

Ms. Ogata: About half of our staffers have master's degrees, and they have a variety of academic backgrounds ranging from international relations to business, law, economics and engineering. I also expect them to have a commitment to serve people and developing countries.

WSJ: What advice would you give someone starting out in your field?

Ms. Ogata: I think you have to be a generalist to a certain extent, but with special advantages or special skills. Developing countries have a variety of profiles and backgrounds. Some are strong in fisheries and others need rural development.

They have to be flexible and have a broad understanding of people, countries and history. At the same time, as they advance in their careers, some may become committed to urban development or telecommunications, for example. They may get special training in midcareer, move on and become a specialist.