1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the 13^th Republic of Korea-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) annual policy consultation in Seoul on November 29.

° The ROK and UNDP head delegates to the meeting were Director-General for Development Cooperation of the Foreign Ministry Oh Hyun-joo; and Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy Ulrika Modeer and Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, respectively.

※ The UNDP is the largest UN agency specializing in development and with global networks and expertise, and is one of the five major organizations the ROK government works with -- the UNDP, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The ROK and the UNDP hold the policy consultation on an annual basis to discuss ways to step up cooperation.

- In 2018, the ROK subscribed US$8.6 million to the UNDP, the 11^th-largest regular resource contribution to the UNDP in the year.

2. In the policy consultation, the two sides mainly discussed the ROK government’s multilateral development assistance policy implemented through UNDP cooperation projects; the reform of the UN development system and the implementation of the UNDP’s strategic plan; aid projects for Afghanistan and other vulnerable countries; and the ROK people’s presence in the UNDP.

3. Assistant Administrator of the UNDP Modeer stressed that through its continued assistance to the UNDP, the ROK government was contributing greatly to efforts to achieve sustainable development across the world and that the ROK, the 14^th-largest contributor in 2017, was the only country that steadily increased contribution to the UNDP’s regular resources over the past five years. She added that, in particular, the ROK, during its service as a Vice President of the UNDP Executive Board in 2018, demonstrated leadership in the fields of international development and multilateral cooperation. 

° Assistant Administrator Dieye, calling the ROK one of the main contributors to the “project to support developing countries’ efforts to implement sustainable development goals” that is led by the UNDP and participated by all the UN agencies, mentioned that the ROK, by rendering such support, contributed greatly to the UNDP work to set up a global policy network and develop into an advisory body on innovative development policy.

4. Director-General Oh suggested that the ROK and the UNDP consult more closely with each other on the latter’s strategic projects, including those designed to enhance the connectivity among humanitarian assistance, development and peace, and to step up support for developing countries’ sustainable development efforts. In particular, she asked the UNDP to pay attention to bids to expand ROK nationals’ presence in the UNDP to the extent commensurate with the level of the country’s contribution to the organization.

° The Director-General expressed hope that the UNDP would render support to young Koreans dispatched to the UNDP to work as Junior Professional Officers and UN Volunteers so that they can carry out their work smoothly.

※ The ROK, after serving on the UNDP Executive Board for the terms of 1994-1995, 1998-2000, 2008-2010, 2012-2014, and 2016-2018, was once again elected to the Board for the 2019-2021 term.

5. UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Tapan Mishira joined the policy consultation, during which he shared with the other participants the progress in the UNDP’s assistance projects for the DPRK and underscored the need for the ROK and the UNDP to work closely together for the latter's assistance projects to continue.

6. The two sides agreed to continue working closely together in areas of mutual interest, including rendering assistance to vulnerable countries, governance, gender equality, sustainable peace, and global partnership for effective development cooperation.

7. The 13^th ROK-UNDP policy consultation is seen to have served as a good opportunity to review the progress in the bilateral cooperation projects conducted within the new UN development system to be put into full gear in the year 2019 and on, and to discuss ways for strategic cooperation between the ROK and the UNDP.