KOICA Signs Agreement to Support COVID-19 Response in Indonesian Prisons

Agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross on the 7th... Preventing Infectious Disease Spread in Indonesian Detention Facilities
Distribution of Sanitation Supplies and Nursing Staff Training for 58,000 Inmates in 67 Indonesian Prisons

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA announced on the 7th (local time) that it signed an agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to strengthen infectious disease management capabilities in Indonesian detention facilities.

The signing ceremony was held at the KOICA Indonesia office located in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, attended by Jung Hoe-jin, head of the KOICA Indonesia office, and Alexandre FAITE, head of the ICRC Indonesia and East Timor regional office.

This event was carried out as part of the Korean government's 'Development Cooperation Initiative for a Safe World Together (ODA KOREA: Building TRUST)' and according to KOICA's ABC program.

KOICA is promoting 'comprehensive emergency support' centered on four countries including Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Colombia, five ASEAN official development assistance (ODA) recipient countries, and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to enable developing countries to respond timely to health crises caused by COVID-19.

In addition to the healthcare sector, KOICA is supporting measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and minimize damage in overall areas of life such as food security, livelihoods, and education for residents of developing countries.

KOICA is implementing a comprehensive emergency support program in Indonesia, the Southeast Asian country with the highest number of COVID-19 infections, and as one of the detailed activities to support vulnerable groups against infectious diseases, it decided to collaborate with ICRC to strengthen quarantine response capabilities within correctional facilities.

According to this agreement, KOICA and ICRC plan to distribute hygiene products and infectious disease prevention supplies this month to approximately 58,000 inmates in 67 prisons across Indonesia, and also provide hygiene products and medical protective equipment to correctional facility staff such as prison officers and nursing personnel. Additionally, online training will be conducted for nursing staff in prison hospitals to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Jung Hoe-jin, head of the KOICA Indonesia office, said, "In the unprecedented humanitarian crisis caused by the global spread of COVID-19, ICRC is playing an important role in supporting vulnerable groups in detention facilities in Indonesia," and added, "KOICA will actively participate in the Indonesian government's COVID-19 response efforts in collaboration with ICRC."

Meanwhile, KOICA has also supported diagnostic and quarantine equipment for base hospitals in Indonesia to overcome COVID-19. Furthermore, KOICA is implementing capacity-building projects for COVID-19 infection tracing, surveillance, and emergency response personnel, quarantine capacity-building projects targeting Indonesian communities, and support projects for vulnerable groups such as street youth and residents in remote areas.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.