Ryutaro Kobayashi is an accomplished international development specialist who currently serves as Director of the Strategy and Programme Operation Division, Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) Secretariat at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He was the former Chief Representative of the JICA Palau Office for three and a half years, completing his assignment in May 2024. Prior to this role, he was the Senior Representative at the JICA Vietnam Office, where he made significant contributions. He has also held the position of Deputy Director of Southeast Asia Division 3 in JICA’s Southeast Asia and Pacific Department. Kobayashi’s extensive experience in international cooperation includes serving as a Senior Development Policy Planning Officer in the Country Assistance Planning Division 1 of the International Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was previously the Representative at the JICA Philippines Office. Earlier in his career, he worked as a JICA Expert and Project Coordinator for the Philippine Community Based Forest Management Project and held various positions in the JICA Hokuriku Branch Office and the Rural Development Department. His career reflects a strong commitment to sustainable development and capacity building in the region. Ryutaro and Yuko Sasaki will be presenting on “Good practices for ‘volunteering for solidarity’ approach: A new attempt called Glocal Programme in Japan” in a Strategy Conversation Session during the IVCO 2024 Conference.