1. Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations Oh Hyunjoo has been appointed as a member of the Advisory Group of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for the 2020-2023 term.

o This is the fourth time that an ROK national has been appointed to the Advisory Group following Ambassador Park Soo-gil (2006-2009), relief worker Han Bi-ya (2011-2014), and Ambassador Choi Seok young (2015-2018).

2. The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which was established to enable prompt delivery of relief funds in response to humanitarian crises around the world by harnessing voluntary contributions from countries, is providing funds for unexpected humanitarian crises such as natural disasters and infectious diseases, as well as under-funded emergencies, including Syria and Afghanistan.

o The ROK government has contributed a total of US$56.8 million since the Fund was established in 2006.

3. The 18 members of CERF’s Advisory Group appointed by the UN Secretary-General play an advisory role regarding response policies for humanitarian crises including efficient use of the Fund. The appointment of Ambassador Oh with extensive experience and expertise in development cooperation and humanitarian assistance is expected to help expand the ROK’s role in the international community’s discussions on response to humanitarian crisis.