1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the 15th Korea-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Annual Policy Consultation in a virtual format on December 9, 2020. The Korean and UNDP head delegates to the Consultation were Director-General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cho Yeong-moo and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy Ulrika Modeer, respectively.

2. The two sides shared the understanding that the international community’s solidarity and cooperation is important in responding to global crises in health and development, as the Human Development Index (HDI) is expected to fall for the first time in 30 years due to COVID-19 and inequality has intensified across the world; and agreed to step up bilateral cooperation.

° The Korean side commended the UNDP for supporting developing countries’ response to COVID-19 by identifying the specific impact of COVID-19 through the socio-economic impact assessment of 83 countries and promptly drawing up a COVID-19 Offer plan.

° The UNDP side extended appreciation to the Korean government for its support for the UNDP’s response to COVID-19, explaining that the UNDP has assisted 130 countries’ COVID-19 response efforts through the COVID-19 Offer and is rendering assistance mainly in the four areas of governance, social security, green economy and digital acceleration.

3. During the Policy Consultation, the two sides exchanged views on Korea’s policies on development cooperation and the UNDP’s strategic plan; the implementation progress of the reform in the UN development system; the progress in the UNDP’s key projects supported by Korea, including those in the fields of the UN Human Development Report, governance, and gender equality; strengthening cooperation with the private sector; and ways to increase Koreans’ presence in the UNDP.

° The Korean side highlighted that the achievements from the UN agencies’ joint response to COVID-19 would serve as a significant test in carrying out the reform in the UN development system, asking the UNDP to continue playing a pivotal role in implementing the reform.

° The UNDP side, expressing gratitude to the Korean government for supporting the efforts to carry out the reform in the UN development system, stressed that the two sides should step up cooperation in the their shared areas of focus, including promoting gender equality, responding to climate change, and supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises.

4. Following the Policy Consultation, on December 10, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting of the UNDP Seoul Policy Center Steering Committee, co-chaired by Director-General for Development Cooperation Cho Yeong-moo and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support Haoliang Xu.

° The Steering Committee reviewed the activities of the Seoul Policy Center, including the “SDG Partnerships project” providing policy advice and technical support to developing countries through the localization of Korea’s experience in development and outstanding policies; and discussed ways to reinforce the knowledge-sharing activities of the Seoul Policy Center, of which the year 2021 will mark the 10th anniversary of the opening.