UNICEF Executive Director Visits Korea to Reaffirm Partnership for the World's Children

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell completed a full day of high-level engagements in Seoul on 28 April 2026, meeting with National Assembly Speaker Won-shik Woo, members of the Korean Parliamentary Friends of UNICEF (KPFU), and Prime Minister Min-seok Kim to strengthen the Korea–UNICEF partnership at a critical moment for children worldwide.

The visit underscored Korea's standing as one of UNICEF's most important global partners. Since 2020, the Republic of Korea has committed over USD 800 million in funding to UNICEF and procured over USD 900 million in goods from Korean companies, including life-saving vaccines from Korean pharmaceutical manufacturers. This support has benefited more than 112 million children and families around the world, with approximately 110 Korean nationals currently serving as UNICEF staff.

"Korea's journey from aid recipient to one of the world's leading development partners is a model for the international community," said Executive Director Russell. "The sustained commitment of the Korean Government and people to children everywhere reflects genuine leadership at a time when it is needed most."

At the National Assembly, Executive Director Russell met with Speaker Won-shik Woo, who welcomed her warmly and expressed appreciation for the partnership that dates back to 1948. Discussions focused on the National Assembly's vital role in advancing children's rights through budget advocacy and legislative action. Both sides highlighted the Resilience for Children+ Partnership, which supports children in humanitarian settings across multiple countries, and welcomed Korea's recent signing of the Children, Youth and Climate Action Declaration. The two sides noted that only 2.4% of all global climate spending currently reaches children, reinforcing the urgency of child-sensitive investment.

Executive Director Russell also joined a Policy Dialogue with KPFU members, a bipartisan group of legislators united in their commitment to children across party lines. The dialogue centred on the growing global trend of declining ODA budgets and its consequences for the world's most vulnerable children. Korea's unique position as a country that understands the transformative power of international assistance, having once received it, gave the discussion particular weight. Several lawmakers made personal commitments to advocate for increased ODA funding through their work on key parliamentary committees. Members also celebrated tangible partnership results, including the contributions of EuBiologics, a Korean supplier that has secured over KRW 100 billion in UNICEF contracts, with its manufacturing facility based in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.

The day concluded at the Prime Minister's Office, where Executive Director Russell and Prime Minister Min-seok Kim reaffirmed the strategic direction of the partnership and discussed flagship cooperation areas, including joint climate and resilience programmes reaching over one million children and humanitarian initiatives spanning Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A central focus was the Global AI Hub, a Korean Government initiative that UNICEF has signed a Letter of Intent to support. Executive Director Russell welcomed Korea's leadership on the initiative, while both sides agreed on the importance of a phased approach that builds strong legal and governance foundations to ensure AI delivers meaningful results for children.

"This visit reinforced just how far the Korea–UNICEF partnership has come, and how much further it can go," said Oren Schlein, Head of UNICEF's Seoul Liaison Office. "Korea's growing commitment, combined with UNICEF's global reach and expertise, creates real potential to change outcomes for millions of children around the world."

As global challenges grow more complex and humanitarian needs continue to rise, Korea's sustained and expanding partnership with UNICEF stands as a powerful example of what international cooperation for children can achieve.