1. As the UN is leading the international effort to set the global development goals for the next 15 years, some 200 people, including 11 top-level officials of international organizations, government officials, academics and development experts from the private sector, will visit the Republic of Korea.

o They will attend the UN Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) High-Level Symposium (HLS), co-hosted by the Foreign Ministry and the UN in Songdo on April 8-10, and discuss ways for global development cooperation in the post-2015 era.

2. With the 2015 deadline for meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - adopted to eradicate global poverty at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000 - approaching, the international community, drawing upon the experiences and lessons gained in global development cooperation over the past 15 years, is holding robust negotiations to adopt the post-2015 development goals, which will serve as guidelines on global development cooperation until 2030, at the UN Development Summit in September this year.

o At the upcoming UN DCF High-Level Symposium, the participants will address key issues in the implementation of the post-2015 development goals, based on the negotiations on the post-2015 development goals that are underway at the UN. Among the issues are ways to make use of various development resources, including ODA, and ways to form a solidarity-based partnership among development actors, such as governments, the private sector, companies, and academia.

o Considering that the forthcoming Symposium is a large-scale global development meeting held before the UN Development Summit in September and the third International Conference on Financing for Development in July, the UN expects that the outcome of the meeting will have an important impact on relevant UN meetings.

3. In his opening remarks, Foreign Minister Yun will stress the need for the whole international community to act proactively with a deep sense of solidarity to eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable development. The Minister will also highlight the importance of genuine global partnership to successfully meet the new development goals. He will express the willingness of the ROK, a recipient-turned-donor, to contribute to achieving the post-2015 development cooperation goals.

4. In addition, Minister Yun will meet with the heads of 11 international organizations and convey the ROK’s willingness to make contributions in global issues, including setting the post-2015 development goals, adding that the ROK has become a middle-power country and model UN member since its accession to the UN in 1991.

o In particular, Minister Yun will stress the contributions in the international community made by the ROK, which, as a middle-power country, is playing the role of facilitating the formation of international regulations by hosting not only this UN DCF High-Level Symposium, but also international meetings on key areas of the post-2015 development goals, including the World Water Forum and the World Education Forum, this year amid growing international attention to the post-2015 development goals. 


               Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation