The 17th Seoul ODA* International Conference, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), was held successfully at the Lotte Hotel (located in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul) on September 4, with more than 300 participants from major international organizations, development agencies, academia, and the diplomatic corps in Korea in attendance.

* Official Development Assistance (ODA): Bilateral and multilateral development cooperation provided by governments or public institutions to promote economic development and social welfare in developing countries

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and KOICA have been organizing the Seoul ODA International Conference every year since 2007 as a forum for various members of the development cooperation community, including governments, the private sector and academia, to discuss key issues and share knowledge and experience. This year, under the theme of 'Sustainable Development Cooperation for Future Generations,’ various discussions were held on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the direction of international development cooperation in connection with future generations.

* The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 as 17 global common goals to be achieved by the international community by 2030, including eradicating poverty, ending hunger, reducing inequality, and ensuring quality education.

“Now is the time to draw a vision of development cooperation with 'future generations' in the face of rapidly changing environments and multifaceted crises,” said Kang Insun, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, in her welcome remarks. She added, “As a responsible member of the international community, our government will actively realize the vision of the ‘Global Pivotal State’ that contributes to freedom, peace, and prosperity.” She also emphasized, “Our government will innovate to use the expanded ODA resources more effectively and promote ODA policies that win the hearts and minds of recipient countries with a 'spirit of partnership'.”

In his opening remarks, Chang Won Sam, President of KOICA, emphasized that solving global challenges and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals are closely linked to the lives of future generations. He also said that KOICA is actively promoting ODA in the field of education by facilitating youth talent exchanges and fostering competent future generations who will be the driving force behind the development of developing countries.

In his keynote speech video, Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said, “Korea has a truly unique and incredibly valuable perspective to share on development, having gone from one of the poorest countries in the world half a century ago to the world’s eighth-largest economy and seventh-largest exporter today.” While pointing out the important role Korea is playing by significantly expanding its ODA budget, he stressed in his video message that Korea now needs to prioritize fostering experience sharing and cooperation among development partners, strengthening fiscal transparency and increasing tax revenues in developing countries, and promoting private sector investment in developing countries in order to address the economic and social challenges and the climate change issues facing developing countries.

The next three sessions featured presentations and discussions by participants on the following topics: ‘Development Cooperation Strategies and Policies for Future Generations’; ‘Innovative Models of International Development Cooperation for Future Generations’; and ‘Hopes and Challenges from the Perspective of Future Generations.’

Acknowledging that the participation of future generations is crucial to achieving the SDGs, participants agreed that policy mechanisms should be put in place to enable young people to have a voice and leadership in the international agenda, and to develop young people's capacities through development cooperation. At the same time, they recognized that efforts to invest in girls and women and realize gender equality should continue to be made.

 Increasing development financing and utilizing innovative technologies such as AI to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals were also highlighted. Participants emphasized the need for greater engagement of private sector development partners, such as businesses and civil society, beyond the public sector, to address global challenges including climate change and educational disparities. They also shared examples of innovative financing mechanisms such as blended finance and climate finance, as well as development cooperation models that utilize digital technologies.

The meeting also featured presentations by local and international youth with diverse experiences in development cooperation, representing the future generation. Participants said they have witnessed the power of peer learning and collaboration while engaging in development cooperation. They also concurred that the international community should expand support for education and capacity building, people-to-people exchanges, and bridging the digital divide for future generations so that young people can share experiences and stand in solidarity to overcome global challenges.

The members of the MOFA 2030 Advisory Group* who attended the meeting said, “The session with youth and beneficiaries who have experienced development cooperation projects was useful in understanding the challenges and sense of achievements on the ground in development cooperation, and we hope that there will be more opportunities for youth to participate in ODA policy discussions and decision-making processes.”

* The 2030 advisory group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is composed of young people aged 19 to 39 who serve as a communication channel to convey the perceptions and opinions of young people in the policy formulation and implementation process of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (launched in January 2024).

In a year when the ODA budget exceeded KRW 6 trillion for the first time ever and is in the midst of a quantitative transition*, the international conference was significant in that it shared the Korean government's ODA policy for realizing the vision of a Global Pivotal State with the international community, gathered the voices of young people in the field of development cooperation, and explored the direction of sustainable development cooperation for future generations.

* The total ODA volume of the Korean government in 2024 is approximately KRW 6.3 trillion, up 31.1% from 2023 (KRW 4.8 trillion).  

As the theme of the conference was future generations, it was organized in a lively and colorful way that included cultural performances. At the opening ceremony, a video containing works submitted by the public to the 'Short-Form Video Contest' on the theme of sustainable development cooperation for future generations was screened to mark the start of the conference. In addition, the ‘Arumdri Choir,’ composed of 13 boys and girls from multicultural families, delivered a message of hope for a better future through beautiful harmonies.