1. The government of the Republic of Korea held the third meeting of the committee on the operation of the Global Disease Eradication Fund on May 4. In the meeting chaired by Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, the participants deliberated on and finalized the projects that the Fund will conduct in 2019.

° The finalized projects, designed under “the Fund’s project strategies for the years 2017 through 2021” that were deliberated on and set at the committee’s second meeting in September 2017, will be conducted mainly to help sub-Saharan African and other countries suffering from infectious diseases bolster their systems for managing infectious disease crises; and prevent and eradicate such key infectious diseases as neglected tropical and water-borne illnesses.

° The committee meeting also covered the Fund’s operation plan for the year 2019; guidelines for efficient operation of the Fund’s surplus assets; and the progress in the educational and training projects intended to build capacity of civilian development cooperation groups at home for the implementation of relevant project.

2. The committee on the operation of the Global Disease Eradication Fund, which has been formed pursuant to the Global Disease Eradication Fund Act in force since January 1, 2017, is comprised of ten members -- officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency; and four experts from the private sector, Chairman Park Yong-joon of the Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation, senior journalist Kim In-gee of Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), professor Han Seung-mi of Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies, and professor Lee Hee-young of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

3. Under the “air-ticket solidarity levy” system, 1,000 won is levied on each international flight passenger departing from the ROK. The Global Disease Eradication Fund channels the financial resources raised through this system into projects designed to prevent and eradicate infectious diseases in developing countries. This “air-ticket solidarity levy” system, which has been in place in 2007 under the name of the “global poverty eradication contribution,” has become a fund regime pursuant to the Global Disease Eradication Fund Act in force since January 2017.

° So far, some 35 bln won has been spent annually for the projects. Including a 44 bln won carry-over, the Global Disease Eradication Fund currently has 52.9 bln won in its coffers as of the end of April 2018.

4. The ROK government, with this “innovative financing for development” which complements its existing official development assistance (ODA), will help healthcare-related international organizations and civilian development cooperation groups carry out activities to prevent and eradicate infectious diseases in developing countries. By doing so, it will contribute to a sustainable development of the international community and to efforts to better protect the Koreans’ health from infectious diseases at a time when the annual number of Korean travelers abroad stands at 20 million.

* unofficial translation