(Phnom Penh)
On Monday, March 28th, 2022 at the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), His Excellency CHHIENG YANARA, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister and Secretary General of the Cambodian Rehabilitation and Development Board of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CRDB/CDC) held a courtesy meeting with Her Excellency Dr. Im Jeong Hee, Vice President of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) who undertakes her diplomatic mission in Cambodia. The main purpose of this meeting was to discuss on KOICA’s Development Cooperation and Partnerships in Cambodia.
His Excellency CHHIENG YANARA warmly welcomed H.E Dr. Im Jeong Hee and expressed his appreciation to the strong partnership and support from the Government of Korea and its people which contribute to socio-economic development in Cambodia. His Excellency also highly valued various KOICA’s grant aid projects, especially the provision of medical supplies to support the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC)’s effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia. In addition, His Excellency informed the meeting about the Strategic Framework and Programs for Economic Recovery in the context of living with COVID-19 in a new normal (2021-2023) which focuses on 3 main pillars: 1). Recovery of Economic Growth 2). Reforming to build a solid foundation for growth, diversification and competitiveness, 3). Building Cambodia’s Resilience to ensure sustainable and inclusive development.
Her Excellency Dr. Im Jeong Hee expressed her profound gratitude in undertaking the mission in Cambodia to take part in the Inauguration ceremony of the project “Capacity Building of Ears, Nose Throat (ENT) Centre in PreahAng Doung Hospital”, under the grant assistance from the Republic of Korea, on March 28th, 2022. Her Excellency further commemorated on the good cooperation from the Council for the Development of Cambodia and reaffirmed her commitment in delivering extensive support to Cambodia as one of the highest prioritised countries. In addition, Her Excellency Dr. Im Jeong Hee highly valued the RGC under the wise and visionary leadership of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia for the successful implementation of effective government measures and intervention to address the COVID-19 pandemic and reopen the country across all sectors. From 1991 until 2021, KOICA has provided approximately USD 316 million for four significant priority areas such as Education, Transportation, Rural Development, Water Management and Health/Hygiene. It is worth-mentioning that over the last decades, the amount of ODA provided by the Republic of Korea has increased significantly, and this grant aid is expected to increase in the future.
In conclusion, His Excellency CHHIENG YANARA reiterated his sincere appreciation to KOICA for the continued support to the socio-economic development in Cambodia, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and wished H.E Dr. Im Jeong Hee and the delegation success in their mission in Cambodia.