1. The Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth and its Multi-Year Action Plan were finalized 
to be included in the resulting document of the 4th United Nations Conference on Least Developed 
Countries (UNCLDC), which closed on May 13 (Friday) in Istanbul, Turkey. The decision marks a major 
turning point in spreading the G20 development consensus, adopted in the 2010 Seoul Summit under 
the initiative of Korea, in the international community.

* The latest UNCLDC was held on May 9-13 for the first time in 10 years since the previous conference 
in Brussels in 2001. The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Istanbul Action Plan (IAP) as its 
resulting document.
 
o The IAP states that it expects the Consensus and the Plan to contribute to attaining an inclusive, 
sustainable, and resilient growth of LDCs.
   
* Excerpt of the IAP on the Consensus (IAP Chapter III, Clause 40)

“Development initiatives, including at subregional, regional and international levels, such as the G20 
Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth and its Multi-Year Action Plan, are expected to 
contribute to the attainment of inclusive, sustainable and resilient growth in LDCs.”

2. The UNCLDC in Istanbul was attended by approximately 9,000 participants from 192 UN member 
countries, including some 30 heads of state and 90 government officials. The fact that G20 development 
consensus was included in the resulting document of such a large-scale UN conference is deemed 
particularly meaningful as this could serve as a bridgehead for the consensus to develop into a new 
paradigm of international development cooperation.

o In addition, the inclusion is seen as the UN’s official endorsement of the G20 development agenda, 
which focus on expanding developing countries’ capacity for organic growth, and will serve as the 
foundation on which the major outcomes of the G20 Seoul Summit can be solidified in the international 
community.

3. Going forward, the Korean government plans to continue its effort to spread the G20 development 
agenda in the international community by taking advantage of major diplomatic events, such as the 4th 
High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan and the 4th Korea-Japan-China summit.

o The Korean government will faithfully fulfill the G20 development pledges and contribute to sustainable 
development of developing countries by making effort to help the G20 High Level Development Working 
Group, where Korea serves as the chair along with France and South Africa, produce tangible outcomes.

4. Aside from the clause regarding the G20 development, the IAP also set an ambitious target to provide 
support to ensure half of the 48 LDCs graduate from their current status and adopted concrete action 
plans for eight priority areas identified as necessary to help the sustainable development of LDCs.     

* Eight Priority Areas for Action: Production capacity, development of agriculture, food security, and farms, 
trade, product diversification and easing volatility, development of human and society, crisis response, 
securing funds for building development and capacity, and good governance.


                   Spokesperson and Deputy Minsiter for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation