From recipient to donor nation
Published: 04 Jan. 2010, 19:41
UNDP officials move office supplies and a portrait of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon out of the UNDP office on Dec. 29 in Hannam-dong, Seoul. [YONHAP]
The closure came after Korea was recognized as a full-fledged donor nation by the OECD Development Assistance Committee in November.
The UNDP Seoul office was established on the Korean Peninsula in 1963 and has since contributed a total of $78.8 million to the country’s development efforts. It will be replaced by the new Policy Center on Global Development Partnerships, which will begin operations this year in Seoul.
The center will focus on poverty reduction and environmental affairs in underdeveloped countries, according to the UNDP Seoul office. In addition to sharing its development experience with developing countries, the center will also contribute to achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals through a partnership created between the Korean government and the UNDP.
“The UNDP is proud to be associated with the ROK’s successful transformation from recipient to donor country through the provision of technical and development assistance since the 1960s,” Zhe Yang, the representative of UNDP Seoul office, said.
Yang said that Korea is one of the most successful recipients of UNDP assistance and has since become an influential country of its own accord. He predicted that many underdeveloped countries would benchmark Korea’s growth and development process in the future.
Lee Eun-wu, a senior official at the Education Ministry, said Korea is at a crucial turning point in its history. Lee participated in a flag lowering ceremony with Yang in front of the UNDP Seoul office on the office’s last day of operations.
“Korea achieved economic development and democratization simultaneously thanks to the assistance from the UNDP,” Lee said, adding, “This is not the end of the UNDP Seoul office. It is a new beginning.”
Unlike other developed countries, Korea went through an extended period of extreme poverty, which puts the country in a unique position to share its development knowledge with underdeveloped countries and help them grow like Korea did, Lee added.
The new aid organization will not be alone in its efforts.
“[The Korean government] will also map out its own assistance programs,” Lee said. “Many countries are interested in Korea’s success.”
The UNDP’s work in Korea was focused on the country’s economic and social development. The organization’s major projects included work on national infrastructure projects, such as the establishment of the Garak agriculture and fisheries market. The UNDP also helped to establish research institutes such as the International Vaccine Institute. In addition, the UNDP advised the government on economic policy and facilitated the transfer of advanced technologies in the machinery, electronics and shipbuilding industries.
By Kim Mi-ju, Oh Day-young [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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