KOICA, CDC first meeting of 2024: cooperation enhanced
THE Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Council for the Development of Cambodia’s (CDC) Cambodian Rehabilitation and Development Board (CRDB) held their first bilateral meeting of 2024 on January 25.
The meeting, which took place at the CDC, was aimed at enhancing developmental cooperation and partnerships between the two nations, according to the council’s social media page.
It said the discussions were centred around identifying potential projects for 2025, planning new initiatives for 2026 and reviewing ongoing programmes under the agency.
The council added that they discussed preparations for the opening ceremony of a new facility for the National Incubation Centre of Cambodia (NICC) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP).
Choi Moon-jung, country director at KOICA, led the South Korean delegation which commended Cambodia’s rapid development in various sectors.
“Choi expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Cambodian government and its officials, particularly the CRDB and CDC, for their exceptional
collaboration in ensuring the success of the agency’s projects and programmes in Cambodia,” as stated in a KOICA press release.
Chhieng Yanara, second vice-chair of the CDC, conveyed profound gratitude to the agency and the people and government of Korea for their consistent support in Cambodia’s socio-economic growth and acknowledged the significant achievements of the agency’s efforts, according to
the CDC’s social media page.
The meeting also focused on the ongoing collaboration on official development assistance (ODA) between the two countries and emphasised future coordination between KOICA, the CDC and relevant Cambodian ministries to develop feasible new projects for 2026.
KOICA celebrated its 20th anniversary in Cambodia last year.
According to the CDC, since the establishment of the agency’s
office in Cambodia on September 1, 2003, KOICA has committed approximately $366.5 million from 1991-2023 to ODA projects and programmes.
The efforts have been instrumental across four key sectors: water management and public health, education, agriculture and rural development, and transportation, contributing substantially to the Kingdom’s socio-economic development, as per the CDC.