The Republic of Korea was elected for the first time as a member of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Board for the 2011-2012 term (2 years) in the election of the Executive Board members during the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting on April 28.

The UN World Food Programme is the main humanitarian aid organization within the UN, which was established in 1961 to eradicate world hunger and improve food security by saving lives and providing food in emergency situations; addressing chronic hunger and malnutrition; developing disaster preparedness and relief measures; and being engaged in recovery operations following conflicts or disasters.

The Executive Board of the UN WFP, which consists of 36 members, discusses and determines the WFP’s policies including projects and budget. In the recent election, six countries were elected as new members of the Board for the 2011-2013 term, and Korea was elected from Group B, the Asian Group.

Korea’s election into the Board reaffirms the elevated global stature of Korea, which changed from aid recipient into donor, and is expected to help Korea play a larger role as a donor country in the field of international humanitarian aid.