On the morning of the 20th (local time), at the US Embassy in New Delhi, India, a signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote a comprehensive development cooperation partnership between KOICA and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) India Office was held. From left, Jang Woo-chan, KOICA Resident Representative in India; Lim Sang-woo, Charg? d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India; Patricia A. Lacina, Charg? d'Affaires of the US Embassy in India; and Veena Reddy, Director of the USAID India Office, are taking a commemorative photo. (Photo by KOICA)
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) announced on the 20th that the KOICA Resident Representative in India and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) India Office have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
USAID is the agency responsible for overseeing and implementing U.S. foreign aid and operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of State's Office of Foreign Assistance.
KOICA explained, "The signing of this MOU is significant as it establishes a foundation for promoting joint development cooperation projects between Korea and the U.S. in India, a key country in our government's 'Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Strategy,' for the first time."
KOICA first dispatched a resident representative to India in 2022 to initiate bilateral development cooperation projects between Korea and India, while USAID has been supporting India since the 1950s. Through this MOU, the two organizations have agreed to focus their cooperation in four key areas in India: ▲economic empowerment of women ▲strengthening disaster and climate change resilience ▲improving digital literacy ▲and enhancing Korea-U.S.-India triangular cooperation.
KOICA expects that this MOU will lead to more active discovery of new projects in India and joint Korea-U.S. projects by leveraging USAID’s accumulated know-how and network, which has supported India’s socio-economic development for over 70 years.
In particular, as India has recently been increasing support to South Asia and Africa, it is anticipated that through Korea-U.S.-India triangular cooperation, sustainable development and climate change response capabilities of countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including India, can be supported.
Jang Jae-bok, the Korean Ambassador to India, stated, "Not only trade and investment between the two countries but also cooperation in science and technology, culture, and human exchanges will expand further. The signing of the MOU with USAID is highly meaningful as it establishes a foundation for promoting not only Korea-U.S. bilateral cooperation but also triangular cooperation projects including India."
Eric Garcetti, the U.S. Ambassador, also expressed hope that through this MOU, cooperation between the two countries will expand beyond supporting the economic empowerment of Indian women to include science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and key emerging technology fields.
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