ReliefWeb

(New York, 27 September 2013): The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) formalized an agreement yesterday on improved collaboration towards a more effective humanitarian system.

The Memorandum of Understanding, which covers regular consultations between the two sides, and continued ROK support for humanitarian coordination mechanisms stewarded by OCHA, was signed in New York by Ms. Kyung-wha Kang, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and H.E. Mr. Shin Dong-ik, Deputy Minister for Global and Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This commitment is very timely as the ROK is becoming a key player in the multilateral field, with its Official Development Aid rapidly expanding.

“Having transformed from a recipient country of development aid to a significant donor, Korea is an example for others to follow,” noted Ms. Kang. “The Republic of Korea has been a steady partner of OCHA and a significant contributor to the international humanitarian system.”

ROK has been a generous donor to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and to humanitarian appeals, and a member of OCHA's Donor Support Group since 2006. Korea is actively involved in the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team (UNDAC), the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) and the Asia-Pacific Humanitarian Partnership (APHP).

The Memorandum of Understanding formalizes the two partners’ intention to work more closely to identify potential areas of cooperation to address humanitarian challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

For further information, please call:
Clare Doyle, OCHA New York doylecm@un.org +1 212 963 5009 (o) 646 288 6331 (c)
OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int
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