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| Director-General Chung You-a of the Department of Multilateral Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance of KOICA, right, and Maruf Yaman, head of Foreign Affairs Department of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, pose after signing a Record of Discussions, in Hatay Province, Turkey, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of KOICA |
By Kang Seung-woo
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed a Record of Discussions with the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) of Turkey, Wednesday, for a cooperative project to build a temporary settlement for victims of the earthquake in Turkey.
Through this agreement, KOICA and AFAD will cooperate with private organizations to create a temporary settlement composed of 500 container housing structures in Hatay Province.
The project will also include services for earthquake-affected people regarding psychological and social support, a system for protection and livelihood, education, health and nutrition and WASH (Water, sanitation and hygiene). Through the project, some $10 million ($12.9 billion) will be provided in support ― $8 million from KOICA and $2 million from Korean non-governmental organizations.
Through this project, the organizations seek to contribute to supporting and restoring the livelihoods of the people of Turkey. Upon completion, KOICA will transfer the responsibilities of the project, including the infrastructure and social services, to local governments in Turkey.
The third round of the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), consisting of private and government entities, was dispatched to Turkey on March 13 to plan the project and to build a temporary settlement for disaster restoration. The third dispatch team returned to Korea, Thursday.
The team planned details of the project to construct a temporary settlement for victims via consultations with relevant organizations and an inspection of the site. Amid the national emergency, KOICA and AFAD carried out effective negotiations and inspections in the affected areas in order to sign a Record of Discussions for the project.
"This activity of KDRT contributed to saving lives, and is meaningful in that the government and private organizations cooperated in the affected country," said Chung You-a, the director-general of KOICA's Department of Multilateral Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance. "KOICA will make the utmost effort to make this a model example of public-private development assistance."
This inspection party for the project to construct a temporary settlement in Turkey marks the first case of public-private cooperation emergency assistance since the 2007 enactment of the Overseas Emergency Relief Act, and hopes to contribute to the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus discussions of the international community.
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