KOICA signs MOU with Int'l Paralympic Committee

Kim Young-mok, left, president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), holds a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Philip Craven, chairman of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), after a signing ceremony held at KOICA headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. KOICA said it will cooperate with the IPC in supporting the disabled in developing countries. / Courtesy of KOICA

By Jun Ji-hye

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Monday with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in an effort to nurture talented young people with disabilities and raise public awareness.

KOICA President Kim Young-mok and IPC Chairman Philip Craven, along with other officials, attended a signing ceremony held at KOICA headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

KOICA said that it will utilize knowhow accumulated from previous projects and cooperate with the IPC to dispatch personnel that specialize in disability issues to underdeveloped countries.

“We will support the development of various sports programs for disabled people in developing countries to help them participate in social activities,” stated KOICA in a press release. “We will also work hard to improve their human rights, as well as push for active sports interchanges with South Korea.”

The institute said that it has spent 19 billion won ($18 million) over the past five years on supporting people with disabilities.

“We expect this budget to gradually increase,” it said.

KOICA added that it has constantly carried out various projects of official development assistance (ODA), including the construction of special-education schools and rehabilitation hospitals.

For its part, the IPC has undertaken projects to help disabled people participate in sports, from basic level exercises to actively taking part in different sports.

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