SEOUL, 20 January 2022 - Ambassador Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega met with Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) President Hyuk-Sang Sohn to discuss ways to strengthen the development cooperation partnership between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.

During the call, Ambassador De Vega emphasized the importance that the Philippines accords to KOICA and how beneficial the partnership with KOICA is in furthering the Philippine human capacity development agenda, especially through projects in agriculture, rural community development, strengthening local governance, and climate resilience. She also expressed that KOICA has been integral in the improvement of digital governance in the Philippines, including through funding Philippine KOICA scholars on e-governance, agriculture, and climate management. Ambassador De Vega was pleased to learn from President Sohn that KOICA grantees from the Philippines do well in their studies and are poised to contribute to development cooperation upon the completion of their scholarship program.

Ambassador De Vega also noted that KOICA is forging a very innovative path in terms of smart farming and rice production and that it complements the Philippine goals of developing food security, something that was brought to light in the on-set of the logistical challenges brought by the pandemic. President Sohn conveyed that the Philippines remains the most critical and strategic partner of KOICA in the region in terms of volume and manpower.

At the end of the meeting, Ambassador De Vega affirmed that the Philippine Embassy in Korea remains ready to assist in making the development aid process to the Philippines more efficient, as many areas in the Philippines would benefit from the intensified partnership. Both sides hoped to work closely together on climate-related development cooperation, as it is in line with the Philippines' Sustainable Financial Recovery Roadmap and is in step with the Philippines' own climate change and resiliency goals. END