Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) organized a Consultative Workshop for its Volunteer Partner Organizations on July 28, 2022 in Kathmandu.

The workshop aimed to review and evaluate KOICA’s volunteer program with sharing and exchanging the best practices and creative ideas to improve volunteer program in Nepal among volunteer-related organizations. This meeting gave a platform to discuss ways to promote a better policy and effective implementation of Volunteer program in the future. About 33 participants from different partner organizations participated in the program.

Sunghoon Ko, Country Director of KOICA Nepal Office welcomed the participants. He emphasized the importance of cooperation from recipient organization to strengthen the KOICA program in Nepal. He mentioned that the main objective of the program is to promote friendly and cooperative relationship and mutual exchange between Korea and developing countries and to support their economic and social growth.

Simultaneously, he highlighted that KOICA has identified Environment as one of its new area of interest where it pursue to develop and implement new project and programs. Since last year KOICA have been trying to incorporate the environment sector in its entire cooperation program.

KOICA staffs presented about the KOV program, satisfactory survey form, safety and security issues of KOV as well as Green ODA Programs which KOICA Nepal have been implementing since last year.

Similarly, a brief presentation was done by the Nepal Korea Friendship Municipality Hospital highlighting about the support of KOICA in hospital waste management system. Last year KOICA supported 3 Biomedical Waste Autoclave Machines for KOICA supported 3 hospitals including Nepal Korea Friendship Municipality Hospital. Likewise, Environment Declaration was also signed by more than 10 organizations together with KOICA with an aim to protect the environment. KOICA Nepal Office has signed a declaration of environmental management of the office dimension for the environment on June 05, 2019 to implement the low carbon, energy reduction activities.

Group discussions were made to identify the environmental need assessment of the participating organizations. KOICA Nepal Office has serious concern towards environmental issues too. From the constructive feedback of the discussion KOICA will try to support the recipient organizations in some extent. Also, KOICA hopes that the environment declaration signed by both sides will be implemented properly in coming days.

The KOICA Volunteer Program is one of the main pillars of the KOICA programs. KOICA volunteer program aims to contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development and to promote friendly relations between Korea and host countries. Volunteer program is an important aspect of KOICA’s cooperation program in Nepal which supports to transfer Korean knowledge, expertise and technology directly in the grass root level. Now there are 5 volunteers who are actively working in various sectors. KOICA is committed in increasing the numbers of volunteers in Nepal.