ODA News in Cambodia

Korea’s 200,000USD Humanitarian Relief Arrives in Cambodia

Mr. Kim Byung-gwan, Representative, KOICA Cambodia Office, Second from Left, Picture from DAP

Phnom Penh: Korea’s humanitarian relief for Cambodian victims arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport at 04:30 pm on November 26, 2009. The relief was transported by Korean military airplane.

This humanitarian relief which includes material for daily uses, and 30 items of utensils and foods costs 200,000 USD. The relief was provided through National Committee for Disaster Management to Cambodian victims suffered from Ketsana typhoon in certain provinces.

Accompanying Mr. Lee Kyung Soo, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Cambodia during the direct receiving of the relief, H.E. Dr. Nhim Vanda, Senior Minister and First Vice President of National Committee for Disaster Management told the reporters that today-relief is from the Republic of Korea appealed by Samdech Akkak Moha Seda Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia to President Lee Myung Bak of the Republic of Korea and the First Lady during state visit to Cambodia in this October.

H.E. Senior Minister added that for now and for the first step the relief consists of 9 items which are all necessary and urgent for the victims suffered from Ketsana typhoon in Kampong Thom province. H.E. Lee Kyung Soo, Korean Ambassador and H.E. Nhim Vanda collectively promised to continue the cooperation to bring this relief and give to the victim directly in the short-coming day.

South Korea contribute US$200,000 worth of supplies to Cambodia

South Korea contribute US$200,000 worth of supplies to Cambodia

S. Korea to airlift supplies to storm-hit Cambodia

KOICA supports 300,000USD to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project

in Southeast Asia

Phnom Penh: Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) donates 300,000 USD and dispatches 50 KOICA World Friends Korea (WFK) volunteers to join with former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter together with thousand of volunteers to support the 26^th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.

The project that is facilitated by Habitat for Humanity will be implemented in Southeast Asia for 5 days from 16 to 20 November 2009 and will build and repair 175 houses. During the project, many volunteers will build houses in 5 countries along Mekong River: China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The event will launch Habitat’s five-year Mekong Build campaign to serve 50,000 families throughout the region.

According to news release of KOICA office in Phnom Penh, KOICA will donate 300,000 USD and dispatches 50 KOICA volunteers to join in this house building.  In addition to supporting the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, KOICA has worked to make simple and decent housing possible by sponsoring various Habitat for Humanity builds going on overseas over past 10 years.

According to organizer of Habitat for Humanity Cambodia, 21 decent and affordable houses will be built in Srah Pou village, Phnom Bat commune, Pulea Leu district, Kandal province, near Oudong Mountain, and will be handed over for free to 21 families who lived near Stung Meanchey dump site in Phnom Penh. These houses will be built by the hand of 400 volunteers who are international volunteers of Carter’s project, Khmer volunteers, mostly are university students, and Korea Overseas Volunteers.

Each year since 1984, the Carters have given one week of their time to build homes and raise awareness about the need for simple, decent and affordable housing.  The 2009 Carter Work Project will mark the fourth time the former U.S. president and his wife have built with Habitat for Humanity in Asia. Previous Carter Work Projects were held in India in 2006, in South Korea in 2001 and in the Philippines in 1999.

02 Nov 2009
Source: Government of the Republic of Korea

With regard to enormous loss of human lives and property in Cambodia caused by typhoon “Ketsana” on October 1-2, the Government of the Republic of Korea has decided to provide emergency relief supplies worth 200,000 dollars to support recovery efforts in Cambodia and join the international community in its humanitarian assistance activities.

Typhoon “Ketsana” that hit northwestern Cambodia on October 1-2 has left 43 people dead, 67 injured, about 6,000 families homeless, and around 48,000 families short of food. The typhoon also caused property and infrastructure damage, washing away or damaging about 1,000 houses, sweeping away 57,000 hectares of farmland and livestock, and destroying roads.

During the summit between President Lee Myung-bak and Prime Minister Hun Sen on October 22, President Lee expressed his intention to provide cooperation through the Foreign Ministry in response to a request from the Cambodian side to support typhoon recovery operations. The Korean government will provide relief food and daily necessities that the Cambodian government has asked for.

Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

My sincere thanks to Mr. YIN Leangkong, Rasmei Kampuchea Daily Newspaper Reporter  for writing an article and publishing the article in his newspaper on Sunday-Monday, October 18-19, 2009.

2nd from Right, H.E. Chea Sophara, 4th from Right, Mr. KIM Byung-gwan, 5th from Right, H.E. YIM Chhayly and 6th from Right H.E. Lee Kyung-soo,. Picture by HORT Sroeu (Mr.)

Phnom Penh: The Ministry of Rural Development, on the half of this week, received the Report on Policy and Strategy from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to Cambodia.

At that time, H.E. Chea Sophara, Minister of the Ministry of Rural Development said that Ministry of Rural Development was established in September 1993, with the purpose of improving living standards and alleviating the poverty of rural people through rehabilitation and rural infrastructure development, community development, rural water supply, rural healthcare and sanitation, rural economic development, training and research, capacity improvement, rural development infrastructure preparation.

H.E. Chea Sophara went on to say that, in this important mission, Ministry of Rural Development has been prepared strategic plan in order to implement the alternative rural development program at the village, commune, district, province, city in the nationwide. The implementing of the poverty reduction strategy in Cambodia will be achieved the Millennium Development Goal of Cambodia by 2015.

Deputy Prime Minister YIM Chhayly informed that the government considers the “Final Report on the Policy and Strategy of Rural Development for Cambodia” was the optimum document for the Ministry of Rural Development in order to find out the development issues in search of ideas and policy directions in the field of rural development to reduce the poverty.

H.E. Lee Kyung-soo, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Cambodia, said his country is one of the poorest countries in the world in 1960s and the agriculture sector was the main industry of the nation. Along with starting a new economic development plan and along with the leadership of the government, Korean people have made great efforts towards economic and rural development, and have achieved great successes.

Korean ambassador added that at the present, Republic of Korea is the 11th largest economy in the world and ranks 12th in terms of world trade. Now that Korea has become a front runner among developing countries, we take it as responsibility, as well as a great privilege, to join the international drive to support other developing nations and share the valuable lessons learned through our development experience, especially in the field of rural development with partner countries.