Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul Meets with Executive Director of World Food Programme (WFP)

1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with Executive Director Cindy McCain of the World Food Programme (WFP) on Wednesday, July 31, in Seoul during the latter's visit to Korea. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the WFP.

2. Minister Cho said that the Korean government has increased this year's official development assistance (ODA) budget by 40% and is significantly expanding its budget for humanitarian assistance in line with its Global Pivotal State vision and that it plans to continue strengthening cooperation with the WFP, which is the world's largest humanitarian organization and Korea's important partner for cooperation.

3. Minister Cho explained that the Korean government has increased its contribution to the WFP's core funding by more than four times to 20 million dollars and has doubled the amount of its annual rice aid to 100,000 metric tons this year. He also mentioned that Korea is planning additional contribution in response to humanitarian crises including those in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

4. Executive Director McCain expressed her gratitude for Korea's significant expansion of support to the WFP this year. Saying that Korea's growth from a recipient of WFP support 60 years ago to a major donor country is a perfect example of success, she highly praised Korea for now taking a step further and demonstrating leadership in addressing global issues.

5. Both sides agreed on the need to develop numerous signature projects and strengthen policy dialogue in order for Korea and the WFP to achieve more tangible and visible results from their cooperation. They also agreed to work together for the success of the Conflict and Fragility Program for the Horn of Africa region launched this year.

6. Minister Cho asked for Executive Director McCain's special attention to ensure that more Korean nationals are represented in the WFP, in particular at high-ranking positions, on par with Korea's financial contribution to the UN and its scale of cooperation with the WFP.