From 6^th to 26^th March 2014, the KDI School of Public Policy and Management hosted a workshop on “Economic Development Strategy for CIS Countries-Public Policy and Management” with 12 participants from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. This multi-year program is a tailor-made capacity building program for CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries in the field of public policy and management within a 3-year time frame.  

The first capacity building workshop of the year 2014 was aimed at supporting national development of CIS countries by sharing Korea’s economic experiences as well as strengthening capabilities and improve understanding of CIS countries’ officials in order to equip them with professional insights on decision making skills in the context of national development. This short-term training program also helps CIS countries to be able to make their economic progress toward sustainable development.

During this twenty-day workshop, all participants were provided eleven different useful lectures by Korean professors who specialize in many development fields as well as Korea’s economic development experiences. The first lecture was provided by Professor Jungho Yoo on the topic of “Korean Economic Development and Recent Challenges”. Followed by a lecture on Korean experiences of strategies for export promotion, participants were also introduced to the direction, strategy, and process of Korean government reform by Professor Jin Park, who is an expert in development economics and government reform. The other lectures were focused on various topics such as changing urban and regional policies in Korea, performance management system, infrastructure development, and also vocational training policy in Korea.  The last lecture was presented by Professor Keesung Roh on the topic of “Medium Term Fiscal Plan in Korea” where participants could enrich their understanding on the processes and fiscal reform efforts of the Korean government.

In addition to the classroom lectures and discussions, the participants had the opportunity of a field trip to witness first-hand the process and the results of development, visit industrial sites such as Hyundai Motors, Hyundai Heavy Industry, POSCO, Incheon Port Authority and others.

The workshop was concluded on March 25^th, 2014, with the participants gaining the knowledge that will surely help them speed up economic development in their own countries.

By Sopheana Bronh (2013 MPP, Cambodia)