|
|
|
UNV, South Korea form partnership to expand reach of Korean volunteers
28 September 2005 Bonn, Germany: A new agreement between the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme will increase the involvement of South Koreans in UNV-supported peace and development initiatives. KOICA President Suk-Hyun Kim and UNV Executive Coordinator Ad de Raad signed the agreement last week at UNV headquarters in Bonn, Germany. Several colleagues from KOICA, as well as the Head of the Bonn Office of the Korean Embassy accompanied Mr. Kim on his visit. The agreement sets terms for recruiting South Koreans who want to serve as UN Volunteers. The volunteers are expected to be former Korea Overseas Volunteers, the volunteer sending arm of KOICA. At the ceremony, Mr. de Raad highlighted South Korea’s commitment to the promotion of volunteerism and the mobilization of Korean volunteers. “This agreement definitely paves the way forward in terms of increasing South Korea’s presence in UNV,” said Mr. de Raad. “By strengthening our collaboration, together we can provide more opportunities for nationals of your country to support UNV in helping contribute to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).” For KOICA, Mr. Kim said the agency wants to significantly raise the number and profile of South Koreans serving as volunteers. “Currently we are sending volunteers to 25 countries, with more than half in south-east Asia,” said Mr. Kim. “Through our new partnership with UNV, we hope to learn from the organization and further South Korea’s role in the international community's efforts to achieve the MDGs. We would also like to explore our role in peacekeeping and information and communication technologies (ICT) for development.” About KOICA |