1. On September 19, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se attended a high-level plenary meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants held on the sidelines of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). On the same day, the Minister, together with the President of Estonia, the Prime Minister of Georgia and the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), hosted a high-level event regarding Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.

° The Republic of Korea, as the chair country of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that monitors SDG implementation, the theme of the 71st session of the UNGA, from July 2015 till July 2016, is playing a leading role in the field.

2. Minister Yun delivered a speech at the high-level meeting on refugees and migrants, in which he pointed out that the number of refugees and migrants has reached the largest since the end of World War II and that forced displacement is inextricably linked to various push factors, underscoring the need to take a comprehensive and holistic approach to resolve the unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

°With regard to efforts to address the issue of refugees and migrants, the Minister mentioned that in the short-term, it is important to increase humanitarian assistance and, in the course, the principles of non-refoulement, fair legal processes, and the protection of human rights must be ensured. In that respect, he brought attention to the fact that the ROK, the first in Asia to enact an refugee act, has continued to improve its refugee status determination process and facilitated better treatment for asylum-seekers, and launched a resettlement project for refugees in 2015.

° He went on to say that in the longer term, development cooperation should come hand in hand with humanitarian assistance to help refugees to stand on their own feet again. He cited the ROK’s case, in which the government has expanded financial assistance for refugees ten-fold over the past five years and is linking humanitarian assistance and development through the provision of education, health and vocational training to refugees, adding that through the “Better Life for Girls” initiative put forth by President Park Geun-hye at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, the ROK is particularly focusing on women empowerment.

3. Minister Yun also attended the high-level event on SDG 16, themed “effective, accountable and inclusive institutions for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: E-governance, transparency and public services,” where he highlighted the importance of SDG 16 and brought attention to the ROK government’s efforts to attain the goal.

° The Minister, calling SDG 16, whose main elements are “effective, accountable and inclusive institutions,” a goal in itself and crucial factor that facilitates the attainment of the other goals, stressed that attaining Goal 16 requires a genuinely inclusive multi-stakeholder partnership where everyone participates, works and shares the benefits together.

°In particular, Minister Yun stressed that in the e-governance field, where the ROK is internationally recognized, it is important for the ROK to share with developing countries its knowhow in the e-government system; and to offer education aimed at cultivating e-government system-using global citizens. He announced the ROK’s plan to provide three million US dollars to the “UNDP Trust Fund - Governance for Peaceful and Inclusive Societies” to contribute in the governance area of SDG 16.


* unofficial translation