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Speaker Kim meets with Unicef’s Executive Director
- Feb 27, 2023
- 5653
Speaker Kim Jin-pyo meets with Unicef’s Executive Director
- Speaker remarks that Unicef is a key partner in humanitarian support to the international community
- Unicef Director underscores the need to expand financial resources to ensure Unicef’s continuing activities
- Speaker agrees on the need for expanded regular financial resources commensurate to Korea’s national prestige and pledges the National Assembly’s cooperation
Speaker of the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo met with Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Catherine Russell on November 7 at the Office of the Speaker. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between Korea and Unicef as well as strengthen international collaboration.
* Unicef was founded to provide support to developing countries to safeguard children’s health and welfare and bring lifesaving assistance to them during humanitarian emergencies. Through Resolution 802 (VIII) of October 1953, the General Assembly voted unanimously to continue the Fund indefinitely, and shortened its name from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund to the United Nations Children’s Fund while retaining the well-known acronym.
Executive Director Russell served as Deputy Assistant to the President during the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, and as Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel under President Joseph Biden. She has served as Unicef’s 8th Executive Director since February 2022.
In evaluating Unicef’s activities, Speaker Kim remarked, “Unicef has played a pivotal role lately in suppling vaccines to developing countries in response to Covid-19. The agency, which has established a strong foothold through its 158 offices worldwide, is a critical partner to the Korean government in delivering humanitarian assistance to international society.”
Speaker Kim continued by saying, “As many as 500,000 Koreans have voluntarily signed up to be regular donors to Unicef. It means a lot to us that the Korean people — who received help from Unicef in the past — are now able to contribute to major Unicef projects as donors, and we hope that this will continue in the future.”
South Korea’s private contribution through the Korean Committee for UNICEF reached about USD 81 million as of 2022, making Korea’s the seventh-largest private committee in the world.
Speaker Kim continued, “The National Assembly has maintained a cooperative relationship with Unicef through the ‘Korean Parliamentarian Friends of Unicef,’ which commemorates its 15th anniversary this year.” He then expressed hopes for expanded cooperation between the National Assembly of Korea and Unicef.
President Russell said that Unicef has engaged in humanitarian support activities in 15 of the most vulnerable regions of the world, and that Korea’s aid has played a pivotal role in helping to continuously deliver essential services to millions of children facing worsening conditions around the globe. She expressed her gratitude to the Korean government and the Korean people for their steadfast support.
President Russell also underscored that Unicef relies heavily on its regular financial resources and thus, it is difficult to respond to unexpected humanitarian crises and disputes without such resources. To continue delivering its support activities, Unicef needs such dependable resources, she added.
In response to Russell’s request for expanded financial assistance, Speaker Kim said, “I agree with the need to expand Korea’s contribution to Unicef’s regular resources, considering the international status of Korea,” and pledged to continue the necessary cooperation from the National Assembly.
President Russell responded that Unicef is in urgent need of strong partners like Korea to conduct its work amid aggravating global crises such as climate change and Covid-19. She asked that Korea and Unicef strengthen their partnership going forward.
After the meeting, Speaker Kim and attendees moved to the National Assembly’s Sarangjae hall to attend an event dubbed a ‘Call to Action on the Global Climate Crisis for Children’ hosted by Unicef and the Korean Parliamentary League on Children, Population and Environment (CPE).
In his congratulatory address, Speaker Kim said, “The lives of children around the world are at serious risk from the climate crisis, wars, and new infectious diseases. I send my support for Unicef’s efforts to address these issues and for being on full about the climate crisis.”
The Speaker also encouraged officials from the Korean Committee for UNICEF, saying: “Korea has developed from a recipient country into a donor country, and the Korean Committee is known as the largest contributor — with the largest remittance ratio among all 33 Committees for Unicef in the world.”
Attendees at the meeting included Unicef Chief of Staff Kirsi Madi, Head of Unicef’s Seoul Liaison Office Oren J. Schlein, Secretary General of the Korean Committee for UNICEF Lee Ki-cheol, Unicef Senior Advisor for Communications Malene Kamp Jensen, Chief of Staff to the Speaker Park Kyung-mee, Senior Secretary for Public Relations Ko Jae-hak, Ambassadorial Advisor to the Speaker for Foreign Affairs Cho Koo-rae, and Director General of the International Affairs and Protocol Bureau Hwang Seung-gi.
- Speaker remarks that Unicef is a key partner in humanitarian support to the international community
- Unicef Director underscores the need to expand financial resources to ensure Unicef’s continuing activities
- Speaker agrees on the need for expanded regular financial resources commensurate to Korea’s national prestige and pledges the National Assembly’s cooperation
Speaker of the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo met with Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Catherine Russell on November 7 at the Office of the Speaker. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between Korea and Unicef as well as strengthen international collaboration.
* Unicef was founded to provide support to developing countries to safeguard children’s health and welfare and bring lifesaving assistance to them during humanitarian emergencies. Through Resolution 802 (VIII) of October 1953, the General Assembly voted unanimously to continue the Fund indefinitely, and shortened its name from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund to the United Nations Children’s Fund while retaining the well-known acronym.
Executive Director Russell served as Deputy Assistant to the President during the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, and as Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel under President Joseph Biden. She has served as Unicef’s 8th Executive Director since February 2022.
In evaluating Unicef’s activities, Speaker Kim remarked, “Unicef has played a pivotal role lately in suppling vaccines to developing countries in response to Covid-19. The agency, which has established a strong foothold through its 158 offices worldwide, is a critical partner to the Korean government in delivering humanitarian assistance to international society.”
Speaker Kim continued by saying, “As many as 500,000 Koreans have voluntarily signed up to be regular donors to Unicef. It means a lot to us that the Korean people — who received help from Unicef in the past — are now able to contribute to major Unicef projects as donors, and we hope that this will continue in the future.”
South Korea’s private contribution through the Korean Committee for UNICEF reached about USD 81 million as of 2022, making Korea’s the seventh-largest private committee in the world.
Speaker Kim continued, “The National Assembly has maintained a cooperative relationship with Unicef through the ‘Korean Parliamentarian Friends of Unicef,’ which commemorates its 15th anniversary this year.” He then expressed hopes for expanded cooperation between the National Assembly of Korea and Unicef.
President Russell said that Unicef has engaged in humanitarian support activities in 15 of the most vulnerable regions of the world, and that Korea’s aid has played a pivotal role in helping to continuously deliver essential services to millions of children facing worsening conditions around the globe. She expressed her gratitude to the Korean government and the Korean people for their steadfast support.
President Russell also underscored that Unicef relies heavily on its regular financial resources and thus, it is difficult to respond to unexpected humanitarian crises and disputes without such resources. To continue delivering its support activities, Unicef needs such dependable resources, she added.
In response to Russell’s request for expanded financial assistance, Speaker Kim said, “I agree with the need to expand Korea’s contribution to Unicef’s regular resources, considering the international status of Korea,” and pledged to continue the necessary cooperation from the National Assembly.
President Russell responded that Unicef is in urgent need of strong partners like Korea to conduct its work amid aggravating global crises such as climate change and Covid-19. She asked that Korea and Unicef strengthen their partnership going forward.
After the meeting, Speaker Kim and attendees moved to the National Assembly’s Sarangjae hall to attend an event dubbed a ‘Call to Action on the Global Climate Crisis for Children’ hosted by Unicef and the Korean Parliamentary League on Children, Population and Environment (CPE).
In his congratulatory address, Speaker Kim said, “The lives of children around the world are at serious risk from the climate crisis, wars, and new infectious diseases. I send my support for Unicef’s efforts to address these issues and for being on full about the climate crisis.”
The Speaker also encouraged officials from the Korean Committee for UNICEF, saying: “Korea has developed from a recipient country into a donor country, and the Korean Committee is known as the largest contributor — with the largest remittance ratio among all 33 Committees for Unicef in the world.”
Attendees at the meeting included Unicef Chief of Staff Kirsi Madi, Head of Unicef’s Seoul Liaison Office Oren J. Schlein, Secretary General of the Korean Committee for UNICEF Lee Ki-cheol, Unicef Senior Advisor for Communications Malene Kamp Jensen, Chief of Staff to the Speaker Park Kyung-mee, Senior Secretary for Public Relations Ko Jae-hak, Ambassadorial Advisor to the Speaker for Foreign Affairs Cho Koo-rae, and Director General of the International Affairs and Protocol Bureau Hwang Seung-gi.
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