AKIPRESS.COM - The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA)  signed  Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Mongolia on February 15, pledging to promote comprehensive cooperation for preparedness and response to infectious disease threats.

Mongolia and KDCA are collaborating on joint and integrated projects in the field of public health, and are also working on an ODA program that will be implemented in Mongolia within 5 years. 

The Memorandum was signed by KDCA commissioner Youngmee Jee and Minister of Health of Mongolia Cinzorig Sodnom.

The MOU covers various areas of bilateral cooperation, including disease surveillance, risk assessment, public health emergencies, laboratory capacity-building and enhancement to detect emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and others, and the ways forward to foster inter-institutional cooperation, such as consultation or advisory meetings with experts and invitational and on-site training.

The KDCA has expanded technical collaboration with Mongolia in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2023, its technical assistance has been provided to strengthen the bilateral collaboration in specific areas including laboratory diagnostics and analysis, infectious disease surveillance, and joint training programs in emerging infectious diseases. 7.2 billion won is earmarked for the ODA program for Mongolia from 2023 to 2027.

"COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of global collaboration to effectively tackle the unexpected emergence of infectious disease threats. This MOU holds great significance, leading to the first partnership with the Northeast Asian region to execute collaborative and comprehensive projects on public health since the KDCA's launch in 2020," KDCA commissioner Youngmee Jee said.

"The MOH plans to establish the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in recognition of the critical need of integrating infectious disease control systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, I sincerely appreciate the KDCA sharing its establishment story at today’s meeting and look forward to further bilateral cooperation on infectious disease control and prevention," Minister of Health of Mongolia Cinzorig Sodnom said.