Policy Updates

On September 11, 2025, Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Dr. Musalia Mudavadi and South Korean Ambassador His Excellency Kang Hyung-Shik met in Nairobi to reaffirm their countries' partnership, focusing on enhancing cooperation in trade, innovation, and green growth.

Mudavadi highlighted Korea's contribution to Kenya's development in sectors including ICT, education, and agriculture. Key joint projects include the Konza Digital Media City, the Kenya-AIST, and the recently established International Vaccine Institute offices at the Konza Technopolis.

The Prime Cabinet Secretary underscored Kenya's commitment to enhancing cooperation in labor mobility, energy, and climate change action. He welcomed Korea’s support through KOICA projects and the planned opening of the Korea Exim Bank in Nairobi. Both officials committed to deepening cooperation in green economy initiatives, with Kenya expressing interest in joining the Global Green Growth Institute.

On September 1, 2025, the KFS and the UNCCD held an international forum in Seoul, South Korea, to review the PFI and its role in using forest restoration for peacebuilding.

The PFI, launched in 2019, aims to restore degraded land in border and conflict-prone areas to build trust and promote the peaceful use of natural resources. The forum brought together climate envoys, international organizations, and civil society groups to discuss the initiative's achievements and strategies.

Discussions highlighted case studies, including a forest peace model in Bosnia and Herzegovina developed with the FAO and the UNDP, as well as climate security responses in Central Asia. During the event, memoranda of understanding were signed to advance peace building efforts in these regions.

On August 14, 2025, the resumed 5^th session of the INC-5.2 in Geneva, Switzerland, concluded without reaching a consensus on a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, though UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen and UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that all member states agreed to continue negotiations.

Negotiations to establish a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution concluded without an agreement. UN officials, including UNEP Executive Director Andersen and UN Secretary-General Guterres, acknowledged the outcome but emphasized that all countries remained committed to the process. The talks, which included delegates from 183 nations and representatives from over 400 CSOs faced significant differences on key issues.

The US delegation supported an agreement that allows for tailored, country-specific solutions to reduce plastic pollution while opposing prescriptive, top-down regulations. INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso and INC Executive Secretary Jyoti Mathur-Filipp reaffirmed their dedication to moving forward and achieving a future agreement.

On August 12, 2025, the UNDP, with US$10 million in funding from the Republic of Korea, launched the REVIVE project in Afghanistan to support over 350,000 people.

The project will run from July 2025 to July 2026 across six provinces: Badakhshan, Zabul, Daikundi, Faryab, Khost, and Nangarhar. The REVIVE project focuses on creating emergency employment, rehabilitating essential infrastructure, and improving community-level food security, with an emphasis on climate resilience and women’s empowerment.

UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan Stephen Rodriques stated that the project serves as a bridge between crisis and recovery by investing in local resilience and sustainable opportunities.

Chargé d’affaires of the Republic of Korea to Afghanistan Sung-hwan Moon reaffirmed his country's commitment to supporting the Afghan people, particularly women, children, and refugees, and highlighted that the project will help communities rebuild livelihoods and move toward a self-reliant future.

On June 26, 2025, UNICEF commended South Korea's contribution to the organization of US$142 million in 2024 despite declining global ODA trends, highlighting their commitment to placing children’s rights as a priority funding area at the 19^th Annual Policy Consultation in New York.

Particular focus in the consultation was placed on expanding assistance to Africa. Korea pledged to leverage both financial resources and technical expertise to bolster global child welfare. The consultation also reinforced partnerships in health, climate, AI and tech-enabled development (through the GIGA initiative), and private-sector engagement.

The meeting concluded with the launch of a donor-visibility platform to highlight Korea’s contributions to UNICEF’s mission.

From June 9-13, 2025, the 3^rd UN Ocean Conference was hosted in Nice, France, ending with over 170 countries adopting a joint declaration committing to urgent measures for ocean conservation and sustainable use.

The event featured 55 heads of state and government as well as upwards of 15,000 participants from civil society, business, and science. The Nice Ocean Action Plan, combining this declaration with voluntary pledges, was said to mark renewed global political will for marine protection.

Key commitments included:

• A European Commission pledge of EUR1 billion (US$1.1 billion) for ocean conservation;
• A pledge by French Polynesia to create the world’s largest marine protected area;
• A pledge by New Zealand of US$52 million for Pacific Ocean governance;
• A pledge by Italy of EUR6.5 million (US$7 million) to strengthen Coast Guard surveillance in marine protected areas and on oil platforms;
• A pledge by Spain to establish five new marine protected areas, aiming to safeguard 25% of its marine territory;
• A pledge by Germany of EUR100 million (US$115 million) for Baltic and North Sea munitions clearance;
• The launch of a Coral Bond for reef conservation by Indonesia, WB, and partners.

37 countries, led by Panama and Canada, launched the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean, while Canada pledged US$9 million to the Ocean Risk and Resilience Alliance. UN agencies and global partners also launched a co-design process for One Ocean Finance to unlock billions in new financing from ocean-dependent industries and blue economy sectors.

Nineteen more states ratified the Marine Biodiversity Treaty, bringing total signatures to 136 and ratifications to 50 states, plus the EU. Ten more ratifications are needed for the Agreement to enter into force. The 4^th UN Ocean Conference, in 2028, will be co-hosted by Chile and the Republic of Korea.

On May 16, 2025, the KOICA and Tajikistan signed agreements for two ODA projects totaling US$19 million which aim to enhance agricultural resilience to climate change in the Rudaki and Hisor regions.

The first project, valued at US$11 million, focuses on modernizing irrigation systems in Rudaki by upgrading pumping stations and providing essential equipment like excavators and bulldozers. This project is expected to benefit over 30,000 residents by improving water access for farming.

The second project, with an investment of US$8 million, will establish smart greenhouse farming infrastructure in Hisor. By introducing advanced Korean greenhouse technology, the initiative aims to support 3,000 farming households, enabling year-round cultivation and boosting agricultural productivity.

These projects highlight KOICA’s commitment to addressing climate challenges and supporting sustainable agricultural practices in Tajikistan.

On November 19, 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reaffirmed the country's support for climate change by expanding green ODA at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Yoon framed the country's role in the climate transition as 'serving as a green ladder' for climate change during a speech at the 3^rd session of the G20 Summit, which focused on themes including sustainable development and energy transition and international cooperation.

Yoon gave an update on Korea's US$300 million contribution to the Green Climate Fund at India's G20 Summit in September 2023. He also reaffirmed his administration’s plan to contribute US$7 million to the UN Loss and Damage Fund for Developing Countries pledged in June 2024, at the Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul.

While stressing the importance of the Carbon Free Energy Initiative, Yoon expressed a willingness to support climate-vulnerable countries.

On October 16, 2024, the South Korean MOFA and the Seoul Policy Centre of UNDP co-hosted 2024 Seoul Debates under the theme of Empowering Climate Action with Digital Technologies: How to initiate lasting and inclusive change to achieve the SDGs.

The Seoul Debates is an international conference co-hosted by MOFA and UNDP Seoul Policy Centre since 2013 to share South Korea’s experience in development cooperation.

The 2^nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Insun Kang, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, and government officials and representatives from the private sector, academia, and civil society attended the event. Vice Minister Kang called for more efforts for AI and digital technologies utilization and partnerships with the private sector. She also highlighted South Korea’s expansion of green ODA projects and UNDP’s Climate Promise program in her congratulatory remarks.

The MOFA will actively share its development experiences and policies with the international community through dialogues.

On June 4, 2024, South Korean President Suk Yeol Yoon announced to increase South Korea’s ODA to US$10 billion by 2030 as a catalyst for projects for cooperation with Africa at the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit.

The increase is double the level of South Korea's 2024 ODA budget. At the Korea-Africa Summit, a joint declaration was adopted to support e-government in Africa and proactively promote the KSP for Africa’s economic development and digital-based trade.

The joint declaration presented three priority areas:

• Shared growth: expand ODA up to US$10 billion by 2030, provide US$14 billion in export financing to Korean companies, and share the lessons learned from the experience of concluding free trade agreements;
• Sustainability: strengthen international cooperation to create a climate finance architecture responsive to Africa’s needs, advance cooperation for food security and sustainable agriculture, and establish primary healthcare infrastructure and leadership for critical mineral reserves; and
• Solidarity: support counterterrorism efforts and continue efforts in providing humanitarian assistance, achieve irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and cultivate talented human resources through education and training.