1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the 5^th annual policy consultation between the Republic of Korea and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on November 4 in a virtual format. The ROK and OCHA head delegates to the consultation were Director-General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cho Yeong-moo and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ramesh Rajasingham, respectively.

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2. During the policy consultation, the two sides shared the view that the global humanitarian crisis is unprecedentedly worsening due to COVID-19, drew a common understanding that a unified and coordinated response of the international community is vital, and discussed ways for cooperation in providing more effective humanitarian assistance amid limited financial resources as well as the disruption of supply chains and human mobility.

3. The ROK side commended OCHA for leading the international community’s response to COVID-19, including by establishing “the Global Humanitarian Response Plan : COVID 19” at an early stage and promptly injecting UN pooled funds, and stressed that OCHA’s role is ever more important under the circumstance where the humanitarian environment is becoming increasingly complex due to COVID-19.

° The ROK side also explained that the ROK government has provided in-kind donations, such as Korean diagnostic kits and face masks, to about 110 countries to contribute to the international community’s efforts to fight COVID-19, and has been responding actively to humanitarian demands across the world by rendering active support over chronic crises such as for Syrian refugees as well as over floods, a desert locust outbreak, and other urgent disasters.

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4. The UN side commended the ROK for playing a huge role in both assistance on COVID-19 response, including sharing its successful experiences in disease prevention and control and providing in-kind donations, and global humanitarian affairs. It went on to convey appreciation to the ROK for supporting the UN’s coordination efforts on humanitarian affairs and its relief operations on the ground.

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5. The ROK-UN OCHA annual policy consultation, held at a time when the international community’s attention and support regarding humanitarian crises amid the COVID-19 situation is important, is seen to have served as an opportunity for the two sides to pursue closer cooperation by enhancing mutual understanding on the impact of COVID-19 on the humanitarian environment as well as the way to respond to the issue.