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President Lee urges building ˝more inclusive partnership for development cooperation˝ |
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President Lee Myung-bak attended the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness on November 30, delivering a welcoming address at the opening ceremony and meeting with a number of attending world leaders on the sidelines of the forum.
 On November 30, President Lee Myung-bak attended the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Busan and gave a welcoming address
(photo courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae).
The Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, co-organized by the Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the OECD, is the world’s largest and most prestigious forum in the area of international development. It was held from November 29 to December 1 in the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO).
During his welcoming address, President Lee identified developing countries as vital partners for sustainable development and inclusive growth -- and not merely recipients of aid -- in the era of globalization, where each and every country is closely interconnected to one another.
The ROK president stressed the importance of resolutely fulfilling the pledges made for Official Development Assistance (ODA), even in the face of the heightened pressures of global economic difficulties.
The ROK leader reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to being an endeavoring development partner to those in need, and sharing its unprecedented experience in postwar development involving both economic progress and democratization. The once war-devastated country joined OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in 2010, less than six decades after near-total devastation, poising itself as a bridge between advanced and developing nations.
President Lee added that development aid from the international community proved instrumental for helping the ROK people to lead decent lives, combined with their zeal for education and the government’s long-term development plans.
He also hoped that the Busan forum will provide an inspiring platform for discussion of a new framework for effective development cooperation and “galvanize” the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and create a better world and co-prosperity for all.
That day, President Lee also held a series of meetings with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd.
By Hwang Dana
Korea.net Staff Writer
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