RIS RESTORE seminar with the presence of the Japanese delegation

Organized by the Embassy of Japan in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, a hybrid seminar entitled “Learn from the Best: Environmental Solutions for Bosnia and Herzegovina Future” was held on March 3. The Faculty of Science had the honour and pleasure to host His Excellency Mr. Makoto ITO, Ambassador of Japan in Bosnia and Herzegovina, during his first visit to Banja Luka after taking office in December 2020. It is a well-known fact that the Government of Japan has been supporting for many years, not only numerous projects in the field of health and education, but also various activities in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development in the Western Balkans.

As a continuation of this practice, during 2020, the Embassy of Japan expressed its desire to organize an educational event where the local academic community and industry stakeholders would learn about Japan’s experience in this field, as well as current projects and activities of the Faculty. The Embassy ensured the presence of three excellent Japanese environmental experts who joined the seminar via an online link. These were Prof. Dr. Shinji Wakamatsu, Prof. Dr. Hidefumi Imura and JICA (Japan Government Agency for International Cooperation) expert Mr. Taizo Yamada. Experts shared Japanese experiences of overcoming the period of pollution that followed the rapid industrial growth during 1950s and 1960s.

Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics presented its ongoing RIS RESTORE project through the dissemination of objectives and current results on this project. In addition to a large number of online participations, in accordance with epidemiological situation and with strict protection measures, a certain number of final year students, young assistants and local experts from different institutions attended the event live in the amphitheatre. The lecture was followed by a discussion on opportunities for future cooperation, but also the future direction of Bosnia and Herzegovina in this area, with special emphasis on the importance of developing chemical technologies based on waste and by-products as a raw material base, which is also the main goal of EIT Raw Materials fund from which the RIS RESTORE project was supported.

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