1. Ambassador for international cooperation on G20 affairs Choi Kyong-lim (Korea’s G20 Sherpa) participated in the 3^rd G20 Sherpa Meeting held in a virtual format on September 29-30 to prepare for this year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit to take place virtually on November 21-22.

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2. The Meeting was held to discuss the content of the G20 Leaders’ Declaration to be announced at the Summit in November. The Sherpas took stock of the G20’s response to COVID-19 and the progress in the implementation of the measures for the global economic recovery agreed upon by the leaders at the Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit in March.

° A number of the member states stressed that, in the face of the unprecedented pandemic crisis, the G20 countries should enhance solidarity and exercise leadership to overcome the current crisis. They agreed to continue to facilitate equitable and affordable access to COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics for all and pursue closer policy coordination for the global economic recovery, including by strengthening the multilateral trading system and protecting the vulnerable groups.

° In particular, the participants mentioned that it is necessary to suspend debt service for low-income countries, whose economies have been hit hard, and to step up addressing climate change, which could pose a greater threat to humanity, in the course of economic recovery.

3. Ambassador Choi introduced the Republic of Korea’s experience of responding to COVID-19, where it practiced schemes with several countries to facilitate cross-border movement of people, such as business people and workers, for essential activities in harmony with national quarantine efforts. He called for the G20 to move forward similar discussions on promoting cross-border movement of people where conditions allow.

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° The Ambassador also suggested taking advantage of the global economic recovery process as an opportunity to pursue a transformation to sustainable and greener economy and to accelerate digital economy. He proposed establishing G20 disciplines to that end by continuing to share experiences.

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° The Ambassador added that it is important to empower women and realize gender equality as well as to increase the participation in the labor market by women, who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19; and that it is necessary to improve the access to education by utilizing digital technology and narrowing the digital divide.

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4. Building on the outcome of the Meeting, the G20 Sherpas will work on the drafting of the G20 Leaders’ Declaration, which reflects the COVID-19 situation and the current global economic circumstances, in preparation for the leaders to showcase a strong commitment and effective responses to tackle the pandemic crisis in the Declaration.