Ⅲ -23.On-SiteSurveyConductedonaDevelopmentPartnership
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Workshop between the LGED of Bangladesh and the World Bank
The delegates of the KRIHS met with officials from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the World Bank (WB). The LGED is an organization that performs urban planning and implementation in small and medium cities in Bangladesh, and in other agricultural regions. During the visit, the delegates from the KRIHS were introduced to information regarding the status on the major cities in Bangladesh and information about how the LGED is organized, and what its roles are.
Dr. Jo introduced information about the roles and activities of the KRIHS, and discussed the possibility of joint research and cooperation with the LGED, as well as possible educational and partnership programs that would strengthen the capabilities of public officials.
Workshop with the PPRC and the World Bank
The KRIHS delegation met with officials from the Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC) of Bangladesh, and from the World Bank. They discussed the urban problems of Bangladesh, a city that has grown rapidly in spite of the frequent floods and natural disasters. It was at this meeting that the KRIHS shared Korea’s urban growth experiences. In Bangladesh, research into urban matters has only been conducted sporadically, and there is a lack of research about economic status. The only information available is based on statistics that offer little reliability. The officials of the PPRC discussed the possibility of close collaboration and joint research with the KRIHS, with systematic research being the long term goal.
Meeting with the World Bank
The KRIHS met Ming Zhang, Sector Manager of the World Bank, as well as the World Bank's office staff, in order to discuss cooperative measures between the two organizations for the development of Bangladesh. In particular, the KRIHS was introduced to information about the urban development projects in Bangladesh that the World Bank currently carries out, as well as the current progress of the projects. They also discussed what the chances might be for the KRIHS’s participation in the projects. In particular, they discussed cooperative plans involving the GDPC’s training programs for working-level government officials in Bangladesh, as well as detailed cooperative measures and other promotional plans. This was done to create a one-time training program in the first half of 2013, which would increase the capabilities of the regional government in Bangladesh.
Meeting with the LGED and the World Bank Meeting with the PPRC
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On-site visit to the Narayanganj City Hall
The delegates of the KRIHS discussed a mutual partnership plan with the Narayangarnj City Office, and the World Bank. The Narayanganj City Office asked the KRIHS to cooperate with their office on urban planning sectors, in order to establish a development plan for Narayanganj City, a city that is relatively inferior when compared to other cities. The KRIHS delegates and the Narayangarnj City Office members discussed the future expansion plans for infrastructure in the City. They also discussed the cooperative plan for the customized educational program for the public officials of Narayanganj City.
Participation in the urbanization seminar in Bangladesh
The delegates of the KRIHS participated in a seminar hosted by the PPRC, and sponsored by the World Bank. The title of the seminar was, “Urbanization, Crisis or Opportunity?: The International Experience and Bangladesh’s Choice.” Dr. Jo Jin-cheol, Research Fellow of the KRIHS, introduced information about Korea’s Green Belts and other urban development policies, under the topic heading
“Green Urbanization in Korea,” which drew much attention from the Bangladesh government authorities, the World Bank officials and other participants. The participants also had a good opportunity to share expert information about urban issues in the South Asia region, through a series of presentations related to urban issues, which were presented by the World Bank and officials from the ADB.
Workshop with World Bank Sri Lanka
As a subsquent visit after Bangladesh, the GDPC delegation continued to meet with the officials of World Bank Sri Lanka, and discussed the schedule, budget, and curriculum of the UKP Academy training program, to which they could invite Sri Lanka's high-ranking officials. The GDPC delegation, and the WB officials, discussed more specific plans regarding the following joint projects to be performed: the establishment of a research institute and Technology Assistance (TA) Program for the Colombo government, Colombo Green Growth Program, and Livable Cities Program in South Asia region.
Meeting with Narayanganj City Office Field visit to Narayanganj City
Meeting with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defense and Urban Development
The GDPC and the Ministry of Defense and Urban Development (MDUD) of Sri Lanka, held a meeting at the request of Rohan Seneviratne, Vice Minister of the MDUD. Mr. Seneviratne had participated in the EAROPH World Congress that was held in Seoul in October, 2012. During the meeting, there was a discussion about how to use the information about Korea’s experience and knowhow, in order to help establish a government-sponsored research institute in Sri Lanka which would perform a role similar to that of the KRIHS. They also discussed signing an MOU for the purpose of building a better partnership, and to exchange research personnel.
Meeting with KOICA in Sri Lanka
The KRIHS delegation met with the office director and vice director from KOICA’s Sri Lanka office, and discussed the establishment of Sri Lankan public research institute, for which the funding would be provided in the form of Official Development Assistance (ODA). The KOICA officials mainly presented detailed ideas about the construction of new buildings, and about increasing the internal stability of the organization. Ideas about internal stability included increasing the competence of related government officials, and securing necessary equipment and devices, in connection to the establishment of a public research institute. They particularly stressed the importance of cooperation with other agencies with authority, because the ODA has been connected exclusively to the Ministry of Defense and Urban Development. At the end of the meeting, both representatives discussed the duration period of the project, and the project cost, before deciding to invest $4 million USD within three years.
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