열린장관실

Welcoming Remarks by
H.E. KIM Sung-Hwan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Shaping an Inclusive and Comprehensive Approach to Development:
Perspectives for an OECD Strategy on Development
30th November 2011

First of all, I would like to thank you for allowing me this honour of co-hosting the OECD Developme
nt Strategy side event on the occasion of the Busan High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness.

I am delighted to be part of this important initiative of the OECD Secretary-General, Mr Angel Gurria(앙헬 구리아), to shape the future of the OECD Development Strategy.

I would also like to express my appreciation to Ambassador Kyung Wook Hur for his strong leadership as the co-chair of the Development Working Group and for his contributions in taking forward this valuable exercise.

Korea is strongly committed to development, having facilitated the adoption of the G20 Seoul Development Consensus and its Multi-year Action Plan on Development during its Presidency of the G-20 in 2010. It is with the same enthusiasm and responsibility that Korea is now hosting the Busan High Level Forum to build a new, inclusive Global Development Partnership that will enhance aid and development effectiveness.

Korea has a unique development experience, having transformed itself from an aid dependant, developing country to an OECD DAC member over a period of half a century. I believe that this development experience enables us to play a bridging role between developing and developed countries both at the OECD and at the international level.

The OECD stands at a critical juncture as we approach the target year of MDGs in 2015. At the last Ministerial Council Meeting in May, celebrating the OECD’s 50th Anniversary, Ministers from member countries endorsed an ambitious strategic framework to prepare an OECD Strategy on Development.

This Framework lays out a roadmap towards a more comprehensive approach to development and provides a more inclusive platform for knowledge sharing and policy dialogue by outlining the OECD’s main objectives, principles and criteria, and our four strategic areas of work. The Framework moves beyond aid policy and takes a more growth-oriented approach. In doing so, I believe that it will mark a paradigm shift in our approach to development.

Distinguished participants,  

We are experiencing a major structural transformation at the global level. While many OECD economies are in the midst of a protracted economic crisis, developing and emerging economies are becoming vital sources of trade, investment, development cooperation and knowledge. The world’s economic centre of gravity is shifting towards these countries.  

The Busan Forum will call on all stakeholders to establish partnerships based on common goals, while respecting complementary but differentiated responsibilities among countries at different stages of development.

The active involvement and participation of high-level stakeholders in Busan is of utmost importance if we are to ensure the effective elaboration of this Strategy. I believe that this event will provide strategic guidance for the development of an OECD Strategy by fostering consensus and facilitating co-ordination among partners. In addition, it will serve as a space for dialogue and for collecting ideas and inputs from diverse development partners.

I hope that the OECD will benefit from all of your wisdom and insights on development in the current global context, and on the gaps in international responses to address global challenges. I strongly believe that a collective effort can make a real difference.   

Thank you.