The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Egypt Office and the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) jointly convened their annual Knowledge Sharing Seminar titled “Together for Better Health”, on October 12, 2023.
The seminar provides a forum for substantive policy discourse, allowing government policymakers to exchange valuable knowledge and expertise in their field. This year’s seminar brought together esteemed MOHP alumni of KOICA's Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow (CIAT) programs, comprising officials who have benefited from KOICA's Master's Scholarship Program and the three-year Country Training program.
A series of impactful presentations delivered by MOHP officials who have benefited from KOICA's Master's Scholarship Program and three-year Country Training program. Engaging discussions took place on various topics, including Egypt's population policy, capacity building for epidemic management, and the healthcare development partnership between Egypt and donor countries.
This year’s seminar marked a significant milestone of KOICA’s Country Training Program, which was carried out in collaboration with the MOHP. By reviewing past action plans, achievements, feedback, and invaluable lessons, the seminar aimed to provide a holistic assessment of the program's influence on institutional capabilities.
Distinguished attendees included H.E. Yonghyon Kim, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea; H.E. Ambassador Hatem Hassouba, Deputy Assistant to Foreign Minister for Wafideen, Training, Technical Cooperation, General Cultural and Religious Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Mohammed Gad, Minister's Counsel for Foreign Health Relation and Mrs. Jinyoung Kim, Country Director of the KOICA Egypt Office.
In his congratulatory remarks, Ambassador Kim emphasized Korea’s commitment to deepening bilateral partnerships in Egypt’s healthcare sector, mentioning that “It is a very timely opportunity to hold this seminar today as Korea is keen to explore a closer partnership with the Egyptian government in the health sector such as enhancement of the emergency response system and investment in the pharmaceutical industry.”
H.E. added, “I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the distinguished participants and wish a very constructive seminar today. I hope today’s event will help to strengthen the bonds of our friendship and partnership for sustainable development and common prosperity”.
“We are honored to attend this event with this cooperation between Egypt and Korea, especially in the field of health. I would like to express my gratitude to the Korean side for this great support in the field of health. All these experiences have been exchanged will make a change in our health system in Egypt” H.E. Dr. Mohammed Gad, Minister’s Counsel for Foreign Health relation, also highlighted.
Ambassador Hattem Hassouba praised the partnership between the two countries that have been built up strenously and consistently and anticipated more fruitful outcomes to come in technical cooperation along with vibrant cultural exchanges.
Mrs. Jinyoung Kim, Country Director of KOICA Egypt commented that the seminar was very fruitful and relevant by saying "The alumni discussed feedback and reflections from implementing action plans during their government services. I hope this seminar can trigger further cooperation in the health sector."
One of the presenters, Dr. Inas younis, Head of foreign health relations technical office mentioned that the Korean case of development in health sector was very relevant to Egypt, because Korea has evolved from the ODA recipient country to donor country. She added that this greatly inspired Egyptians to advance their sustainable development modeling after Korea.
The Country Training Program “Global Health and International Relations in Egypt” was conducted from 2021 to 2023 consecutively, fostering a total of 58 trainees from MOHP. This year, which was the closing year of the training program, a total of 16 trainees visited Korea for the program, conducting site visits and participating in off-line lectures.
The training program was designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Egyptian government’s collaboration with regional and international partners in all health ODA fields for more resilient bilateral and multilateral relations in the health area. Throughout the program, the participants developed 15 action plans in total, on topics such as the health ODA system, public health system and so forth
Meanwhile, KOICA is also cooperating with the Ministry of Environment (MoEv), Ministry of Finance (MOF), and National Training Academy of Egypt (NTA) in implementing country programs with different topics (Geographic Information System (GIS), Public Financial Management, Organizational Culture and Services). 37 officers from MOF and NTA visited Korea to share Korea’s experiences and apply these experiences after returning home.
The Korean Government will continue to work with the MOHP and the Egyptian Government through KOICA to broaden the scope of partnership and development.
* Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is a Korean government agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dedicated to implementing grant aid programs. KOICA aims to combat poverty and support sustainable socio-economic growth in developing countries around the globe
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