UNICEF and Korea to strengthen collaboration on child rights issues
Bringing children’s rights to the centre of Korea’s Official Development Assistance policy
The 19th Annual Policy Consultation between UNICEF and the Government of the Republic of Korea held on 14 February 2024 in New York, was an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of our partnership to provide critical services and deliver supplies to the most vulnerable children everywhere.
The Korean Government’s delegation was led by Director-General Doyeon Won from the Development Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and included representatives from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Office for Government Policy Coordination, which sits within the Korean Prime Minister’s office. DG Won acknowledged UNICEF’s efforts to advance transparency and accountability in delivering development and humanitarian results for children. He noted UNICEF’s culture of open communication with its longstanding partners, including the Republic of Korea.
Director-General Won stated that green growth, digital transformation, and the Humanitarian- Development-Peace Nexus were the Korean Government’s three main priority areas, with a major focus on scaling up its assistance to Africa. Korea aims to utilize its unique role as a Global Pivotal State to increase its support of international issues, by providing more financing, sharing its technical expertise, and advocating with its international partners on priority issues.
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Partnerships, Kitty van der Heijden, welcomed Korea’s significant increase in Official Development Assistance in 2024, which is bucking the trend of major traditional donors. Ms. van der Heijden emphasized that as a Global Pivotal State, Korea has become a beacon of hope, leading the way in advancing the rights and well-being of children worldwide.
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen their strategic cooperation in responding to climate change; expanding joint health projects; advancing collaboration on digital transformation issues through UNICEF’s GIGA initiative and technical exchanges around the potential use of Artificial Intelligence in development programming; and exploring opportunities to engage Korea’s private sector in UNICEF’s work through innovative public-private partnerships.
UNICEF and the Korean delegation discussed the challenges facing children in Africa and the joint commitment that both UNICEF and the Korean Government have to the region. This includes the upcoming government-led Korea-Africa Summit scheduled for June this year and UNICEF’s new Africa strategy, which will guide the organization’s work in the region. Africa will form an increasingly important part of the UNICEF/Korea collaboration in the years ahead.
The Korean delegation noted UNICEF’s important role as a delivery partner for Korea’s significantly increased humanitarian aid budget in 2024. The UNICEF and Korean delegations recognized the large number of humanitarian crises facing children around the world and how critical it is to provide targeted support, both to media-driven emergencies and to forgotten emergencies.
The UNICEF Deputy Executive Director also took the opportunity to remind everyone that the world’s children are facing a learning crisis, and she expressed her hope that Korea would consider stepping into this space as a global champion, at a time when traditional donors are stepping away. Both parties agreed to explore potential areas of collaboration, to ensure that every child is in school and learning.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell was delighted to welcome the Korean delegation during their visit to UNICEF House in New York. She conveyed her deep appreciation for the Korean Government’s commitment to UNICEF’s work, as we jointly strive to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for children everywhere.
The annual consultation ended with the launch of a new donor visibility and recognition website (www.unicef.org/gok), which UNICEF has developed to showcase the many areas of support that the Korean Government is providing to UNICEF.
