The 14th Seoul ODA International Conference ended successfully

The conference provided a valuable opportunity to share knowledge in building a more resilient health system, achieving a greener recovery, and creating a more inclusive digital transformation to achieve the common global goal of helping developing countries emerge stronger from COVID-19

On September 9th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea (MOFA) and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) successfully held the 14th Seoul ODA International Conference at Lotte Hotel Seoul.

※ ODA stands for Official Development Assistance, which is defined as government aid that promotes and specifically targets the economic development and welfare of developing countries. The term also covers financing or technical aid provided to the government and local offices of developing economies.

This year’s conference was held under the theme, ‘Building Back Better through Knowledge Exchange: Towards Resilient, Green, and Inclusive Development.’ Due to COVID-19, this year the event was live-streamed on YouTube.

During the opening session, Susanna Moorehead, the chair of the Development Assistance Committee at OECD was invited to give a keynote speech on ‘Building a more Resilient Health System, Achieving a Greener Recovery, and Creating a More Inclusive Digital Future.’

- Summary: △ (Introduction) The successful transition South Korea has made throughout the past seven decades gives a glimpse of hope to the developing countries hit hardest by COVID-19 △(Building a More Resilient Health System) The importance of knowledge sharing in the form of ODA is growing ever more significant as the world is gearing up its efforts to assist developing countries in strengthening resilience against infectious disease △(Achieving a Greener Recovery) Tackling climate crisis is inevitable if the world aims to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the global community must support developing countries in a way that helps them stand on their own in setting up Net-Zero growth strategies. △(Creating a More Inclusive Digital Future) South Korea, as a leading player in the digital industry, must put forth its utmost effort in assisting countries that lack the digital infrastructure or that are excluded from digital transformation, so that the world can move toward a more inclusive digital future.

※ The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a call for action to achieve development goals by 2030 in 17 different areas, including economy, society, and environment; adopted by the United Nations in September of 2015.

The speech was followed by speakers’ presentations and discussions in relation to the following three topics: ‘Building a More Resilient Health System,’ ‘Climate Change and Achieving a Greener Recovery,’ and ‘Creating a More Inclusive Digital Future.’

ㅇ Cho Yeongmoo, Director General of the Development Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROK

    - Agenda: Korea’s Development Cooperation Policy in the Post COVID-19 Era

    - Summary: Korea has actively participated in the international discussions, including the discussions by the G7, the G20, and the OECD DAC, to strengthen the resilience of the global health system and contribute to the international efforts for ensuring equitable access to vaccines for all. Korea launched the ODA Korea: Building TRUST in 2020 to support partner countries respond to COVID-19 and enhance their socio-economic resilience.

ㅇ María P. Neira, Director of Department of Public Health and Environment at WHO

    - Agenda: A Greener Recovery from COVID-19

    - Summary: Activities such as deforestation, intensive agriculture, and illegal wild-animal trade have significantly damaged the world’s ecosystem and increased the risk for infectious disease; furthermore, zoonoses account for 60% of known infectious diseases among humans. To prevent infectious disease crises such as COVID-19 from reoccurring, the global community needs to fortify a healthy, environment-friendly health system.

  ㅇ Tran Thi Mai Oanh, Director of Health Strategy and Policy Institute, Ministry of Health of Vietnam

    - Agenda: Building a More Resilient Health System in Vietnam

    - Summary: The Vietnamese government successfully established solid-response measures to a natural disaster during the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. It has also set up a more inclusive plan to develop communities and establish a dynamic monitoring and alarm system, and these excellent response capabilities have been highly recognized during the pandemic. It pledges to share the knowledge and know-how learned through the pandemic with other countries and to identify a mechanism that effectively controls the management of medical products helping to strengthen the health systems of developing countries.

ㅇ Frank Rijsberman, Director-General of Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

    - Agenda: Green Growth and Climate Actions among Developing Countries

     - Summary: Six years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the evidence for climate change is increasingly compelling, while progress in tackling the issue is rather slow. The session divided developing countries into two categories: △countries that produce a high level of CO2 emissions while pursuing economic growth, such as Asian economies, and △ others that produce a low level of CO2 emissions but are very vulnerable to the global climate crisis, such as African nations and small island states, and examined green recovery and growth measures.

  ㅇ Woong-yeob Song, Vice President of KOICA

    - Agenda: Green New Deal ODA

     - Summary: ‘Green’ and ‘Digital’ are two key factors of the ‘Korean New Deal’ pledged by the South Korean government last year. To meet the goals laid out in the South Korean government’s ‘Green New Deal ODA Strategy,’ KOICA plans to increase the volume of its Green New Deal ODA to above the OECD DAC level. It is scheduled to initiate a total of 28 new Green New Deal projects to tackle climate change by implementing △ CO2 emissions reduction projects in Renewable Energy and Eco-friendly Mobility sector, and projects related to △ Water Resources, Waste, and Smart Cities.

  ㅇ Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU

    - Agenda: For a Fully Connected World

    - Summary: Although the importance of digital transformation is rapidly growing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 3.7 billion people, almost half of the world’s population, are still alienated from digital society. The session emphasized the importance of collective efforts made by the global community to tackle problems by accelerating digital innovation within developing countries.

  ㅇ Chi-Ung Song, Vice President & Senior Research Fellow, STEPI

    - Agenda: Creating a More Inclusive Digital Future

    - Summary: Digitalization and digital technologies have had a tremendous impact on both advanced and developing economies. To minimize digital inequality in the future, the world must embrace a more inclusive digital transformation. Donor countries, including South Korea, are seeking a specific Digital New Deal ODA strategy that will strengthen the digital capabilities of developing countries.

Hyuk-Sang Sohn, President of KOICA expressed that, “with comprehensive and integrated response measures in place, the world can tackle complex crises such as COVID-19 and Climate Change. In this way, mutual learning and cooperation in the form of knowledge sharing are ever more important for the world in achieving the goal of supporting developing countries on CO2 reduction and inclusive digital transformation.”

Choi Jongmoon Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized the importance of international solidarity and cooperation in addressing the global challenges posed by COVID-19 and building a sustainable future. The Korean government has been striving to increase support to partner countries in the areas of health, climate change, and digital transition.

Director-General of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and executive director of UNICEF Henrietta H. Fore gave congratulatory remarks to express their heartfelt congratulations on the conference.

The conference provided a valuable opportunity to discuss many problems facing humanity, such as infectious disease, climate change, and digital inequality, as well as response measures for developing countries. Also, it provided a space for sharing knowledge in how the world can work together to solve these issues through collective action.