Seoul ODA International Conference "Will Expand ODA to Match Korea's Status"

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and KOICA Host Seoul Official Development Assistance International Conference
Government, Private Sector, and Academia Experts Discuss Key Issues

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The 15th Seoul Official Development Assistance (ODA) International Conference, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), was held on the 1st at the Dynasty Hall of the Shilla Hotel in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, under the theme "Expanding Horizons for Global Development Partnerships."

ODA (Official Development Assistance) refers to aid provided by governments and public institutions aimed at promoting economic development and social welfare in developing countries.

It includes financial support and technical cooperation provided to developing country governments and regional or international organizations. This international conference was organized as a forum for various stakeholders in the ODA field, including government, private sector, and academia, to share knowledge and discuss key issues.

At the conference, Son Hyuk-sang, Chairman of KOICA, and Lee Do-hoon, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered the opening and welcome remarks, while Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Masood Ahmed, President of the Center for Global Development (CGD), gave congratulatory speeches via video.

Chairman Son stated, "To effectively respond to increasingly complex development challenges, it is important not only to expand the scale of resources but also to embrace diverse ODA actors and adopt a comprehensive and integrated approach." He added, "In particular, emerging donor countries are strengthening regional cooperation by conducting capacity-building and aid projects targeting neighboring developing countries."

He further said, "Korea and KOICA will continue to strive to establish a new global development cooperation system that encompasses both traditional and emerging donor countries."

Vice Minister Lee said, "Global crises are becoming extremely complex. In this process of emerging diverse trends, emerging donor countries can play an important role." He added, "Korea can promote effective development cooperation based on its development experience and unique expertise, and plans to expand ODA to a level commensurate with Korea's economic status in the future."

Secretary-General Cormann said, "As a global leader, Korea has established itself as a successful donor country leading the world economy." He added, "Especially, Korea is a country that can bridge the views of advanced donors, emerging donors, and developing countries, and we look forward to Korea's role amid global crises."

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Secretary-General of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), delivered the keynote speech on the theme "Expanding Horizons for Global Development Partnerships" via video.

Secretary-General Armida said, "Global issues such as infectious disease pandemics, climate change, and poverty are difficult for individual countries to solve on their own, and newly emerging donor countries can provide new opportunities for cooperation and knowledge sharing between existing donors and developing countries."

Following this, thematic presentations and discussions were held in four sessions covering the direction of ODA promotion as a global hub country, the rise of emerging donors and changes in international development cooperation, knowledge sharing and new experiences, and integration and expansion of partnerships.

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