Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.
KOICA signs MOU with USAID for Pacific Islands region
From left, Charge d'Affaires Tony Greubel of the U.S. Embassy in Fiji, USAID Deputy Mission Director Betty Chung, KOICA Fiji Office Director Ra Kap-chae and Ambassador of Korea to Fiji Park Young-kyu attend an MOU signing ceremony for a partnership between KOICA and USAID in the Pacific Islands region at the KOICA Fiji Office, Monday (local time). Courtesy of KOICA
By Kang Seung-woo
By Kang Seung-woo
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has teamed up with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to strengthen cooperation in the Pacific Islands region, with goals to enhance medical systems, clean up the marine environment and manage waste, and transition to renewable energy.
KOICA Fiji Office held a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with USAID for comprehensive cooperation in key development areas in the Pacific Islands region including health care, the environment and renewable energy, Monday (local time), at the KOICA Fiji Office.
This MOU is based on the Korean government's Indo-Pacific Strategy, and is also closely related to the U.S. government's Strategic Framework for the Pacific Islands and the Pacific Island Forum's (PIF) 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
KOICA and USAID will cooperate comprehensively on improving the health care system throughout life-cycle stages, strengthening sustainable management of the environment and natural resources, enhancing accessibility to renewable energy and improving the digital transformation as well as gender equality and human rights.
At the 77th U.N. General Assembly in September 2022, the government of Fiji announced 10 policies, including climate response, protection of the environment and natural resources, human-centered development, digital connectivity and gender inclusion, to implement the PIF's 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Attending the signing ceremony of the KOICA-USAID MOU were Ambassador of Korea to Fiji Park Young-kyu, KOICA Fiji Office Director Ra Kap-chae, Charge d'Affaires Tony Greubel of the U.S. Embassy in Fiji and USAID Deputy Mission Director Betty Chung.
“This MOU is expected to be the first step in supporting the implementation of Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy and strengthening the Korea-U.S. cooperative relations in the Pacific Islands region,” Park said.
Currently, the KOICA Fiji Office is focusing on supporting climate response and the strengthening of health care systems. It is implementing $86 million (112 billion won) in development assistance projects for expanding renewable energy using solar power, building disaster evacuation centers and strengthening the capacity of medical personnel.