Rural development minister Ouk Rabun (right) shakes hands with KOICA country director Rho Hyun-jun at the MoU signing ceremony on June 9. MRD
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has provided $10 million in grants to Cambodia for community development in three northwestern provinces. It is hoped that the grants will help the communities became more peaceful and sustainable.
A signing ceremony was held on June 9 between KOICA country director Rho Hyun-jun and Minister of Rural Development Ouk Rabun at the ministry headquarters in Phnom Penh. The grants were provided under the “Project of Building Peace Villages through Integrated Rural Community Development”.
According to KOICA, the project will be implemented in the provinces of Battambang, Pailin and Banteay Meanchey, where some areas remain heavily contaminated with landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the wars of the past.
The budget will be spent on implementing the five-year project – from 2022 to 2026 – on improvement of rural living conditions, increase of sustainable agricultural income and strength of governance of rural development.
The project will promote the livelihoods of vulnerable groups such as the poor and people with disabilities, small-scale farming families, collective farmers, and relevant public officials.
“This project will provide vital support to these regions, which have suffered so much because of the war,” said Rabun.
He said that since the war ended, the government has been striving to solve the problem it had left behind, in collaboration with development partners and civil society organisations.
“As a result, landmines and UXOs in most areas have been cleared and neutralised. More assistance is still needed in some of those areas, however. Clean water, socio-economic infrastructure and support for improved agricultural land use are all ways we can support our rural regions,” he said.
Hyun-jun said KOICA was pleased to implement this project, as the rural development sector is one of its pillars in the strategic partnership for this country.
He said KOICA also provided $10 million to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in 2021 for the removal of landmines and UXO in the northeast of Cambodia. This week, they also provided seven trucks to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to support two projects, he noted.
“With this new project, we expect that areas that had gone through fierce fighting will become communities of peace and prosperity,” he said.
