1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jongmoon attended the G20 Foreign Affairs and Development Ministers Meeting held from June 29 to 30 in Matera and Brindisi, Italy.

ㅇ The meeting brought together ministerial delegates from the G20 member states and invited partner countries, as well as representatives of international organizations. The meeting consisted of △Foreign Ministers Meeting, △Joint Foreign Affairs and Development Ministers Meeting, △Development Ministers Meeting, and △Ministerial event on Humanitarian Assistance.

※ Invited partner countries : Spain, Singapore, Netherlands, Brunei (Chair of ASEAN), Democratic Republic of Congo (Chair of AU), Rwanda (Chair of NEPAD), Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, Morocco, Libya

※ Under Italy’s Presidency, the Foreign Affairs and Development Ministers Meeting and the Development Ministers Meeting were held for the first time.

2. Participants at the Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting focused on how to strengthen multilateralism and global governance in health, climate change, trade and investment in order to recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic, and discussed the G20's contribution to sustainable development in Africa.

ㅇ Vice Minister stressed results-oriented follow up mechanisms of G20 should be strengthened to move forward outcomes made, bolster regional cooperation and coordination, and expand cooperation between like-minded stakeholders including the private sector to consolidate a global response to challenges such as climate change.

- He further explained that Korea is promoting the Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health as part of efforts to strengthen regional cooperation, and mentioned that Korea hosted the P4G Summit to promote public-private partnerships in promoting green growth.

ㅇ In addition, Vice Minister Choi emphasized the importance of increasing the G20 contribution to health, trade, and digital technology while respecting the ownership of Africa. He also explained that the Korean government provided $200 million worth of health assistance to support Africa’s response to COVID-19.

3. The Joint Foreign and Development Ministers Meeting discussed the issue of food security, and how the G20 can address the global food crisis, and adopted the ‘Matera Declaration.’

※ Key messages of the Matera Declaration : G20’s policy directions to establish food security, nutrition and sustainable food system, in areas such as food trade, climate change, investment and ODA, and protection of vulnerable people.

ㅇ Vice Minister Choi underscored that unjustifiable restrictive measures on food trade should not be imposed and highlighted the importance of tackling climate change in areas of agriculture and food system. He also explained Korea’s plans to expand Green ODA and emphasized the need to resolve conflicts, which account for the largest share of food insecurity.

ㅇ He also stressed the importance of coordination with various stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society, to address food insecurity, and announced that the Korean government will positively consider joining the Food Coalition*.

* Food Coalition : Launched in November 2020 under the leadership of Italy and FAO, the program aims to provide support to COVID-19 response and recovery of countries in need through a broad partnership between government, international organizations, and civil society.

4. Participants at the Development Ministers Meeting discussed how to mobilize financing for sustainable development and the localization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and adopted a joint communiqué on development.

※ Key messages of the Communiqué : △need for the G20 to work together for developing countries’ recovery from COVID-19 and make progress on implementing the SDGs, △establishing country-led finance frameworks and mobilizing finance for development such as sustainability-linked financial instruments, and △promoting knowledge sharing among intermediary cities to implement the SDGs at local level

ㅇ Vice Minister Choi mentioned the importance of mobilizing private financing such as through the green bond and sharing knowledge among cities. Moreover, he explained that Korea will share the experience of the CityNet*’s activities with the G20.

* An international organization based in Seoul was established to promote sustainable urban development in the Asia-Pacific region and to implement cooperation projects such as training and policy consultation.

5. On the occasion of the G20 meeting, the Italian government and the World Food Programme co-organized a ministerial event on Humanitarian Assistance at UNHRD in Brindisi. At the event, participants called for improving efficiency of logistics in providing humanitarian assistance.

ㅇ Vice Minister Choi explained that cooperation and coordination among stakeholders in the overall logistics system ranging from procurement and storage to shipping is essential. He added that this lesson was drawn from Korea’s experience in providing test kits and medical supplies to over 120 countries as part of global efforts to combat COVID-19.

6. Vice Minister Choi exchanged views with delegates of the G20 member countries on the margins of the G20 meeting.

7. The Korean government will implement the outcomes of the G20 Foreign and Development Ministers Meeting and make continued efforts to support the G20’s efforts to address key global challenges.