1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the 3rd ROK-WFP policy consultation with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Seoul on November 28. The ROK and WFP delegations to the consultation were led by Director-General for Development Cooperation of the Foreign Ministry Jeong Jin-kyu and Director of Government Partnerships of the WFP Chris Kaye, respectively.

2. In the policy consultation, the two sides focused their discussions on ways to make use of a rice surplus in the ROK to provide food aid to developing countries, and to help more Koreans work for the WFP. They also discussed ways to step up cooperation in the area of the WFP’s humanitarian assistance and development cooperation, and to work together on specific projects.

3. Director-General Jeong took note that cooperation between the two sides is deepening, as the ROK has increased its contributions to the WFP, a major humanitarian aid organization with expertise in food security and rural development, opened the WFP Seoul Office in 2011, signed the ROK-WFP partnership agreement in 2015, and has held annual policy consultations since 2015.

o Director Kaye spoke highly of the ROK government’s active participation in the global efforts to respond to humanitarian crises and continued expansion of humanitarian assistance, and expressed hope that cooperation between the ROK and the WFP with expertise in food security, transportation and other issues related to humanitarian assistance will continue to increase.

4. Director Kaye took note that the ROK government has expanded food aid and humanitarian assistance to developing countries, and expressed expectations over possible outcomes when the WFP’s expertise in food security and the ROK’s development experience are combined.

5. On the sidelines of the policy consultation, the Foreign Ministry and the WFP signed an agreement for the ROK government’s donation of US$2.5 million each to the WFP’s “project to provide emergency food aid to the Central African Republic” and “project to support transportation of humanitarian supplies”.


* unofficial translation