1 / 2
PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA The 67th Session of the Executive Committee
General Debates, Geneva, October 5th, 2016
Statement by the Representative of the Republic of Korea
Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
For the past two years at this venue, our delegation has bemoaned the humanitarian crisis of the ‘unprecedented’ magnitude and severity. But little did I know that the definition of ‘unprecedented’ has changed for the worse.
No country is insulated from this ‘unprecedented’ crisis. Even Korea, located far away from the major conflict zones, has witnessed a triple increase of asylum applications for the past three years.
However, the burden is not shared evenly. It is only a few states that bear the brunt of hosting a vast majority of refugees. In fact, they are producing a global public good. That is why we should all share the responsibility to assist them. We must do our part to address the drivers and causes of displacement, and help refugees and countries and communities hosting them. That is precisely the essence of the political will and commitments expressed at the twin summits held in New York two weeks ago as well as at the World Humanitarian Summit in May.
As never before the refugee matters were placed at the center of the global agenda.
UNHCR is charged with an important task to follow up on the New York Declaration, and to formulate and implement comprehensive solution to the refugee crises.
Mr. Chair,
Our delegation expresses its grave concern about the funding gap. We must not become accustomed to it. Because the funding shortfall is not merely a number, but a human tragedy: children not going to school, kids and lactating women not being fed, etc.. Leaving them in limbo will mark a stain on our collective conscience.
What should we do? First of all, we must live up to the commitments we made in Istanbul and New York to reduce the needs. Second, we must increase our contributions, lengthen the list of donors, and engage more actively with the private sector. Third, we must also make sure the scarce resources are used as effectively as possible. In this regard, I urge UNHCR to spare no effort to innovate
2 / 2
its activities, including effective use of cash interventions; work closely with partners, including local partners; and strengthen collaboration with development actors from the onset of the crisis.
At the same time, I call on UNHCR to remain steadfast to its protection mandate:
maintain the institution of asylum sacrosanct; uphold the principle of non- refoulement; and place the human rights of the refugees and asylum seekers at the heart of its activities.
Mr. Chair,
The struggles and adversities of the refugees resonate strongly with the Korean people. In fact, we have a history of mass displacement during the Korean War.
The scar still remains in the hearts of millions of separated families. Also, we are currently receiving thousands of North Koreans who have fled their homes aspiring for freedom, safety and human dignity.
We are doing our best to fulfill our share of responsibilities. Since we enacted a refugee law three year ago, first in Asia, we have upgraded our asylum system and scaled up our reception capacity. We are also implementing a pilot resettlement project.
In terms of financial contribution, Korea has enormously increased its humanitarian assistance, and will expand it further, as our foreign minister pledged additional 230 million US dollars at the refugee summit on September 20th. Without a doubt, UNHCR is a key partner in this endeavor. Our government’s contribution to UNHCR has quintupled over the past five years. This year, it exceeded 20 million US dollars for the first time.
We are striving to blend our development experience with the needs of refugees and hosting communities for long-term solutions. We place particular focus on the vulnerable group, such as children and women, particularly in line with the “Better life for Girls” initiative put forth by our president at the UN SDG summit last year.
Mr. Chair,
In closing, we cannot keep doing the same thing over and over again, and expect a different result. ‘Unprecedented’ crisis requires ‘unprecedented’ measures and determination. I sincerely hope that the international community makes the utmost efforts to tackle the crises so that we don’t need to use the term again in the future.
I thank you. /the end/
