Korean gets second term at UN body

Park Soo-gil

Park Soo-gil, a former Korean ambassador to the United Nations, has been elected to a second term as president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations. The action came at the federation’s triennial plenary assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last week. Park was given his second three-year term by a unanimous vote of delegates representing more than 100 national United Nations Associations.

Park was first elected president of the group in 2009 at its plenary meeting in Seoul. He succeeded Hans Blix, a former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as head of the federation.

The federation is a global non-governmental organization coordinating and supporting the work of member UN associations. Those associations, including the United Nations Association of Korea, support the goals and programs of the United Nations through information activities, youth programs such as Model United Nations sessions, and grass-roots advocacy on UN-related matters.

The federation was founded in 1946, a year after the UN itself was established.

At the Rio assembly, the federation’s 40th, the representatives of member UN associations set the group’s course for the next three years in its work to promote peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.

By Kang Jin-kyu [jkkang@joongang.co.kr]