KOICA Bangladesh Office conducted its “KOICA Stakeholders Workshop 2018” with the participation of stakeholders of KOICA-GoB on-going development projects on 26th September 2018 at Six Seasons Hotel, Gulshan-2, Dhaka.
The objective of the workshop was to increase awareness on KOICA-GoB on-going development projects’ contribution to achieve SDGs in Bangladesh along with exchange of ideas through open dialogue.
Moreover, it consisted of KBAA’s knowledge sharing session on correlation between KOICA’s aid modalities of Development Project and Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow (CIAT). The aim was to exchange ideas and lessons learnt during KOICA’s invitational program relating to emergency rescue and response held at Korea National Fire Service Academy in Korea.
Mr. Monzur Hossain, President of KBAA and Chairman of Rupali Bank Ltd. graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Brigadier General Ali Ahmed Khan, Director General, Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense chaired the event while Mr. Md. Mustafizur Rahman, Additional Secretary of a2i (Access to Information), ICT Division and Dr. AKM Matiur Rahman, Joint Secretary, ERD (Economic Relations Division) were present as the Special Guests.
Country Director of KOICA Mr. Joe Hyun-Gue welcomed all the stakeholders and expressed that KOICA as Korean government aid agency is dedicated to providing grant aid programs to achieve sustainable socio-economic development and solve global problems through mutual cooperation.
KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) in collaboration with Shuchona Foundation, (IPNA) Institute of Pediatric Neurodisorder & Autism, (KOHI) Korea Resources Development Institute for Health and Welfare organizes a 4-day long knowledge sharing seminar on ‘Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism for Child in Bangladesh’ from 21st – 24th August, 2017 in Dhaka. The participants comprised of doctors, therapists, teachers and administrators from IPNA, Autism Welfare Foundation, Ministry of Social Welfare, Center for Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed, Tauri Foundation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and National Foundation for Development of the Disabled Persons.
Bangladesh has recognized Autism as a serious threat to a child’s development. As a result, government and non-governmental organizations related to Autism have developed various curriculums and detection techniques.
KOICA has designed the mentioned program to improve the Autism for Bangladesh. KOICA has been supporting in Autism from 2012 till date. The program has been extended until 2018. KOICA also participated in the International Conference on “Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2017” held in Bhutan in April which shows strong support for Autism development in Bangladesh.
The 4-day long knowledge sharing seminar was designed to set up strategic plans for institutions in Autism, check Autism material development and to update the action plans for better policies and human resources development.
Govt. Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College & Hospital, KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA) and KOICA Bangladesh Office have jointly organized a knowledge sharing seminar on “Strengthening Modernization of Traditional Medicine in Bangladesh” on 16th October, 2016 at the Training Center of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Mirpur 10, Dhaka. Ms. Roxana Quader, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Monowara Sultana, Director, Homeo &Traditional Medicine, Directorate General of Health Services and Mr. Joe Hyun-Gue, Country Director, KOICA Bangladesh Office kindly graced the event with their presence.
Bangladesh has a long history of traditional medicine as it is home to a huge variety of medicinal plants, herbs and spices, and animal parts that are often incorporated into medicines. Ayurvedic medicine and Unani medicine are widely practiced and trusted among various groups of people in the country as it is believed to be made of natural products with no side effects. However, adequate monitoring and better implementation leading to proper preparation of traditional medicine needs to be further strengthened. Bangladesh requires a proper regulatory framework for the quality production and safe use of traditional medicine. In this light, KOICA had offered a multi-year fellowship program titled “Modernization of Traditional Medicine in Bangladesh” which was one of KOICA’s multi-country fellowship programs. The chief purpose of this seminar was to exchange ideas and share the lessons learnt from Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine in Korea- an organization that aims to establish Korean medicine as an advanced science for globalizing the knowledge and experience of Korean medicine.
The seminar comprised of three presentations by the doctors of Govt. Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College & Hospital regarding in depth topics namely ‘Red Ginseng, the glory of Korea and Paraginsing: A comparative study’, Acupuncture Treatment Service in Govt. Unani-Ayurvedic medical College & Hospital in association with KOICA and Acupuncture And Moxibustion Treatment for the Management of PLID. The seminar covered a wide range of interesting topics learnt during their fellowship training program in Korea. For instance, clinical application of acupuncture treatment in cases ranging from prolapse, lumber pain (plid),etc, comparative study between Korean ginseng and Bangladeshi para ginseng, preservation and utilization of traditional medicine. Moreover, the achievement of the Korean doctor dispatched by KOICA to Govt. Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College & Hospital in relation to the modernization of traditional medicine in Bangladesh was elaborately discussed.
The total number of KOICA alumni under KOICA’s Capacity Building Fellowship Program that also include the Master’s Degree Programs, currently reached up to approximately 1,900 which increases every year. KOICA believes that the fruitful discussions held during the seminar were beneficial for the officials of Govt. Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It is hoped that the hands-on lessons gathered from Korea during the mentioned training can be utilized to develop the settlement of future strategies to improve national policy and medical services on traditional medicines in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA) jointly organized a knowledge sharing seminar on “Strengthening Food Safety Management in Bangladesh” on 22nd August, 2017 at Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BISS), Dhaka.
It is widely known that food contamination is a serious public health concern in Bangladesh resulting in life-long diseases for a large number of population. It is vital that government organizations involved in food safety management are enhanced by provision of training and appropriate equipment to ensure international standards of food quality.
Mr. Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque, Chairman, BFSA, Mr. Joe Hyun-Gue, Country Director, KOICA Bangladesh Office and Mr. Monzur Hossain, Chairman of Rupali Bank Limited and President of KBAA urged the relevant stakeholders to increase food safety awareness and address the existing weaknesses of food laws and regulations. They further emphasized the significance of validated methods of analysis, compliance with hygienic practice and conducting appropriate research to assure food safety.
The seminar comprised of an in depth presentation on ‘Overview of training program on food safety management held in Korea’ by the Secretary of BFSA. It covered a wide range of topics learnt at Korea Agency of HACCP Accreditation and Services, ranging from understanding of laws of food safety in Korea, food hygiene management system, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, safety management methods etc.
KOICA hopes that the hands-on lessons learnt in Korea can be implemented by the core stakeholders to improve the hygienic quality of food from production to consumption in Bangladesh.
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bangladesh Police and KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA) jointly organized a knowledge sharing seminar on ‘Capacity Development on Cyber-Policing in Bangladesh’ on 21st September, 2017 at Le Meridien, Dhaka.
In recent times, cybercrime has proven to be a fast growing area of crime with the rise of internet usage in Bangladesh. Unauthorized access to information, data/system interference and electronic fraud tend to be accelerating more than ever. As a result, ensuring cyber-security is one of the major concerns for the government however, tackling the matter remains a challenge.
In this backdrop, KOICA has been supporting Bangladesh Police through its fellowship programs to develop capacity building plan for cybercrime investigation based on the understanding of Korean police activities. It also attempts to implement and strengthen practical improvement initiatives and cooperative strategies against specific cybercrime. Approximately, 30 officials from Bangladesh Police have received hands-on training from Korea. Furthermore, KOICA has established a modern cybercrime investigation center for cybercrime research which is equipped with digital forensic lab, mobile forensic lab, cybercrime investigation lab and evidence archive under its project ‘Enhancing Cyber-Crime Investigation Capability of Bangladesh’.
The knowledge sharing seminar comprised of detailed presentations on capacity development on cyber-policing by officials of CID. It covered various cybercrime related topics learnt at Korean National Police University, such as, policies of cybercrime investigation, responsiveness for conventional crimes and strengthening future cooperation in cybercrime investigation between Bangladesh and Korea.
Mr. Ahn Seong-Doo, H.E. Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh announced that Korean Police will sign a MOU with Bangladesh Police this year to strengthen its partnership. Mr. Sheikh Hemayet Hossain, Addl. Inspector General, CID urged the cybercrime unit of CID to further improve its cybercrime investigation for enhanced cyber-policing in Bangladesh.
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Asia-Pacific & Africa Cooperation Academy-Kangwon National University of Korea (APACA-KNU) and KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA) have jointly organized a seminar on ‘Strengthening Trade Promotion Capacity in Bangladesh’ on 10th May, 2018 at Amari Dhaka.
The event was graced by Mr. Bijoy Bhattacharjee, Vice Chairman, EPB as Chief Guest and Mr. Joe Hyun-Gue, Country Director, KOICA Bangladesh Office as Special Guest along with other dignified trade related government officials of Bangladesh and renowned experts from Korea.
Today, Bangladesh stands as one of the world’s largest exporters as it has pursued export-oriented industrialization where garments account for the highest percntage of revenue followed by jute, leather, seafood and pharmaceutical products. However, the country’s lack of strengthened trade policies with respect to registration procedures, regulatory reforms and administrative licensing that are likely to impede market access calls for more desired restructuring.
In light of this, KOICA has been supporting Bangladesh’s trade sector through its own fellowship program called CIAT (Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow) since 2016, especially tailored for the country’s need to enhance planning capacities of various policies on trade promotion. With the completion of the invitational training along with its local training in Dhaka this year, around 50 trade related government officials of Bangladesh will have gained an insight and knowledge from Korea on how to develop strategic policies that can stimulate trade in Bangladesh.
The seminar’s main objective is to share Korea’s trade policies and developments to gain ideas of promoting overall growth of Bangladesh. It covered various topics on trade promotion mechanisms, Korean and global trade and investment policies, improving trade through innovating systems etc. Furthermore, detailed discussions were held by Korean and Bangladeshi senior level trade experts from Export Promotion Bureau, Ministry of Commerce, Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and Kangwon National University (KNU) on trade challenges in Bangladesh and how to minimize the existing gap.
Korea hopes to continue its cooperation with Bangladesh to further boost the nation’s exports and imports for augmented economic growth which is essential to achieve its developed country status by 2041.
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