Asian Network of Major Cities 21 Plenary Meeting in Tokyo Special Report
From July-November 2010 American university student Mr. Timothy Cooper worked with the ANMC21 office of the secretariat as a volunteer staff. Below, he writes about his experiences with ANMC21.
(3)Reflecting on My Five Months at the ANMC21
From July-November 2010 I had the opportunity to volunteer with the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. ANMC21 is a unique network of Asian cities which undertakes various joint-projects to tackle the problems confronting Asia and the world today. My internship at ANMC21 began when I expressed my desire to volunteer with the Metropolitan Government of Tokyo. Majoring in International Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, I was anxious to gain an inside perspective of how international organizations function.
The ANMC21 was conceived in 2001 at the proposal of the Governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, to establish an Asian-centric network of member cities to undertake joint-projects for the collective prosperity of Asia. For a region that shares roughly 40% of the world’s GDP and approximately 60% of the current population, the need for Asia to carve its own influence in the world is ever growing.
With the Vice Governor Mr. Inose, at the
farewell party for the Tokyo Plenary Meeting
ANMC21 is unique in that it is an international network for Asia led by Asia. Unlike many international organizations today, ANMC21, because it is Asian led, is genuinely devoted to promoting the development of the Asian region. In contrast, international intragovernmental organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are composed of member countries from throughout the world and too often tend to be driven by Western interests. In the IMF, for instance, the United States holds an astonishing 17% of the shares!
Another distinctive aspect of ANMC21 is that it consists of member cities and states, rather than member nations. As Tokyo Governor Ishihara emphasized during his speech at the joint press conference for the signing of the Tokyo Declaration, in order to implement projects such as the development of a regional passenger jet for the Asian region, cities throughout Asia must collectively work together for the future prosperity and development of the Asian region.
In a region annually plagued with natural disasters, the exchange of information and resources throughout Asia is also extremely critical for establishing disaster relief measures. One of the current joint-projects being undertaken by ANMC21 is Network for Crisis Management, which sponsors joint disaster management drills in order to improve the readiness and response of each member city in disaster prone Asia.
At the secretariat’s office
Furthermore, ANMC21 is an important forum for world renowned cities such as Tokyo to share what they have achieved with other member cities of ANMC21. Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, emphasized this point at the welcome reception on November 7th. Chief Minister Dikshit further explained that if member cities can collectively learn from one another under the framework of the ANMC21, then perhaps one day each member city will have the privilege to serve as a model for other cities.
Looking back on the 9th Plenary Meeting held November 7th-10th, ANMC21 has produced many fruitful results. However, with the absence of a colorful personality, the ANMC21 may lack the determination to implement innovative policies. For the 10th Plenary Meeting in Seoul next year, I encourage all leaders of the ANMC21 member cities to rise to the occasion.
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