1. Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul was elected as President of the Executive Board of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for the 2019 term, and officially took office as President of the Executive Board at its special session on December 6.

o The UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board consisting of 36 countries reviews and supervises each organization’s development activities, including by approving each organization’s policies and budgets.

2. Permanent Representative Cho’s election as President of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board is seen as reflecting the international community’s positive assessment of the active contribution that the ROK, as a donor country and member of the Executive Board, has made so far.

o Following its election as member of the Executive Board for the terms 1994-1995 (2 years), 1998-2000 (3 years), 2008-2010 (3 years), 2012-2014 (3 years), and 2016-2018 (3 years), the ROK was elected to the Board again for the 2019-2021 term (3 years). The ROK also served as Vice President of the Board in 2018.

3. The ROK takes the Presidency for the first time since the creation of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board in 1994. The ROK’s Presidency of the Executive Board, which follows its Presidencies of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) (2016 cycle) and the Human Rights Council (2016), and Chairmanship of the Peacebuilding Commission (2017), is expected to broaden the ROK’s diplomatic horizons at the UN, and to further strengthen its leadership in the international community.

o In particular, considering that the UNDP is a key development organization which provided aid to the ROK during the country’s development process in the past, as well as an organization which is leading the UN development system, Permanent Representative Cho’s Presidency of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board is expected to become a good opportunity for the ROK to actively play a bridging role between traditional donors and recipients, drawing upon its experience of transforming from being a recipient to a donor.

4. The year 2019 marks the first year when the UN’s reform program, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres is focusing on, will be implemented. As the three organizations, including the UNDP, will play central roles in implementing the reform of the UN development system, one of the UN’s three main areas for reform, the ROK government will continue to actively support Permanent Representative Cho’s activities as President of the Executive Board so that each organization can carry out reforms effectively.

o In particular, as it is essential to establish wide-ranging cooperative relations with various actors, including not only other UN agencies, but also civil society and private companies, to successfully implement reforms, Permanent Representative Cho will focus on that while in office.

5. During his one-year Presidency, Permanent Representative Cho will directly consult with heads of the three organizations on their activities, and chair the Executive Board’s official and unofficial meetings.

o He will chair official meetings, including the Executive Board’s 1st regular session (January 21-25, 2019), annual session (June 3-7, 2019), and 2nd regular session (September 3-6, 2019), as well as unofficial meetings to be held frequently.

* unofficial translation