1. The eighth workshop of the Cyber Secretariat and a Coordination Meeting of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) will take place in Gwangju, south of Seoul, on April 10 and 11, bringing together delegations from 33 East Asian and Latin American member states of FEALAC.

° The Republic of Korea, the host of the FEALAC Cyber Secretariat, has been holding the Workshop on an annual basis since 2011, contributing to the promotion of friendship and cooperation among the FEALAC member states and to the development of FEALAC.

※ FEALAC is the only multilateral inter-governmental consultative mechanism between East Asia and Latin America launched in 1999 to promote mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation among its member states -- 16 East Asian and 20 Latin American.

※ The ROK hosts the Cyber Secretariat pursuant to the Tokyo Declaration, which was adopted at the fourth FEALAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2010 calling for resolving the organization’s structural shortfall of having no permanent secretariat.

2. The forthcoming Workshop will focus on ways to achieve progress in the implementation of the “New FEALAC Action Plan” adopted at the eighth FEALAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Busan in August 2017 and to expand the functions of the FEALAC Working Groups and the roles of their co-chair countries.

※ FEALAC’s four Working Groups are those on Socio-Political Cooperation and Sustainable Development; on Trade, Investment, Tourism, and MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises); on Culture, Youth, Gender, and Sports; and on Science, Technology, Innovation, and Education. 

° In particular, the ROK will propose revamping the FEALAC website; stepping up on-line communication among the member states; forming a pool of experts; and conducting various FEALAC outreach activities, leading a discussion on specific ways to achieve those goals.

° At the Coordination Meeting to come in conjunction with the Workshop, delegates from twelve countries, including the former and current Regional Coordinators, and co-chair countries of Working Groups and the Steering Committee of the FEALAC Trust Fund, will discuss the full range of matters involving preparations for the FEALAC Senior Officials’ Meeting to take place in Laos in November 2018 (tentative); the progress and achievements in FEALAC cooperation; and the direction of FEALAC’s future projects.

° As a side event, the delegations from East Asian and Latin American countries will be offered an opportunity to visit Juknokwon (bamboo garden) in Damyang and to enjoy flavors of traditional Korean food, and thereby to see for themselves the beauty of the ROK’s natural environment and to experience traditional Korean culture.

3. Since the launch of FEALAC in 1999, the ROK has been contributing actively to the efforts to enhance connectivity between East Asia and Latin America, including by serving as FEALAC’s Regional Coordinator, chairing its Working Group, hosting its Cyber Secretariat, and donating to its Trust Fund and chairing the Steering Committee thereof. Going forward, the ROK government will continue diplomatic efforts to spearhead the development of FEALAC as part of the country’s diplomatic diversification work.

* unofficial translation