■ Time/date: 15:00, Wednesday, December 6, 2023

■ Venue: Head Office of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) head office

■ Organizers: KISDI and KOICA

“This MOU is aimed at promoting cooperation based on the core competencies of public institutions”

“The MOU is expected to make a practical contribution to the spread of digital and AI technologies in developing countries.”

The Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) held a signing ceremony for an MOU for measures to strengthen digital ODA projects at KOICA’s head office on Wednesday, December 6.

The signing ceremony was attended by KISDI President Kyung-yul BAE, Jong-gyu KIM, head of KISDI’s Office of Planning & Coordination, and Dong-min LIM, head of the Center for International Cooperation Research, together with President Won-sam JANG, Acting Director Jong-min PARK of the Digital Innovation Center, and Manager Hyeon-wook YU from KOICA

The MOU aims to build on the foundation for establishing digital ICT policies and provide advice on the use of technology in the field of development cooperation and on promoting digital ODA projects. The key is to create synergy by combining KISDI's expertise in information and communications with KOICA's expertise in international development cooperation.

In the future, the two organizations have agreed to join forces in order ▲to conduct research on a system for expanding digital ODA projects, ▲to support the identification of new AI and digital projects, and ▲to establish strategies for utilizing AI technology in the field of development cooperation.

Moreover, both organizations have promised to cooperate in policy development by promoting cooperation between their researchers and exchanging personnel in ODA-specialized fields.

In an environment where the demand for digital ODA is increasing among recipient countries seeking to respond to the rapidly changing technological environment, the participation of organizations specializing in project planning is essential to respond to ODA demand in a timely fashion. The two organizations are expected to develop programs that can respond quickly to issues in the information and communications field based on research cooperation and exchanges of professional personnel.