Minister Cho Hyun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a report from KOICA Chairman Jang Won-sam on January 9th regarding KOICA’s business direction and institutional improvement plans. This briefing followed the President’s instructions during the December ministry briefings to ensure that each ministry and institution is responsibly fulfilling its roles in line with the national governance direction and creating tangible results for the people.
In his opening remarks during the live broadcast of the briefing, Minister Cho emphasized the importance of strategic ODA that contributes to national interests and major government policies. He explained that KOICA has formed a task force for institutional improvement to integrate grant aid and strengthen accountability. Minister Cho urged KOICA, as the only dedicated ODA agency in Korea, to undertake government tasks and directives with greater commitment.
During the briefing, KOICA presented four key initiatives: promoting strategic ODA to realize global cooperation and solidarity, implementing visible and effective ODA through grant aid integration, achieving accountable ODA that garners public support, and executing innovative ODA through public-private partnerships with businesses, NGOs, and public institutions. KOICA also addressed the issue of fragmented grant aid and proposed institutional improvements to resolve the dispersion of project execution capabilities and outcomes.
In the discussion session following the briefing, ODA in Korea’s strong areas such as renewable energy, rural development, AI and digital, and healthcare was discussed. Specific plans for implementing KOICA-centered integrated platforms through phased budget integration were also debated, along with the need to reflect the opinions of various stakeholders to strengthen public-private partnership. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to continuously strengthen KOICA’s guidance and supervision to achieve the national agenda of establishing an integrated grant aid system and effective ODA.