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Opening Remarks H.E. PARK Jin
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea 2022 World Emerging Security Forum
21 June 2022
Your Excellency Mr. Ehud Olmert, Former Prime Minister of Israel, Dr. Xu Bu, President of the China Institute of International Studies,
Dr. Dan Smith, Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute,
And Distinguished Guests,
It’s a great pleasure to welcome you
to the 2022 World Emerging Security Forum.
I would like to first thank
the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute for partnering with the Korean government
to hold this Forum.
We convene this year’s meeting
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at a turning point in history.
Today, our world is being challenged like never before.
We are confronted with conflicts and divisions on a scale not seen in decades.
Most notably, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is ushering in an uncertain era of renewed geopolitical conflicts.
This is paralyzing the UN Security Council
in addressing the world's most pressing security challenges.
The latest failed attempt
to adopt a Security Council resolution on North Korea is a case in point.
At the same time,
today’s international security landscape is growing even more complex
with emerging security threats - ranging from climate change, terrorism, new technologies to pandemics.
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In fact, two years into the COVID-19 pandemic,
the world continues to grapple with emerging variants, not to mention overwhelming economic losses.
And this could just be a taste of things to come.
Left unchecked,
future pandemics are likely to emerge more frequently with far more devastating consequences.
Meanwhile, climate change, which is recognized as the ultimate “crisis multiplier”,
is posing an existential threat to humanity.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently
warned that the climate crisis is a “code red for humanity”.
And while new technologies offer tremendous opportunities to reach the Sustainable Development Goals,
they also pose significant challenges to international peace and security.
Digital technologies, in particular,
have been connecting billions of people around the world, and advancing healthcare and education.
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Knowledge accumulated over centuries is now at our fingertips.
And social media is enabling groups such as BTS to dominate the music world by connecting fans across the globe real-time.
However, the ever-increasing digital chaos is also benefitting the most destructive forces.
State- and non-state sponsored incidents
of malicious use of digital technologies are on a rapid rise.
Social media is facilitating the spread of disinformation and fueling tension in the most fragile parts of the world.
And global tech leaders such as Elon Musk are sounding the alarm
that AI-enabled lethal autonomous weapons
threaten to become “the third revolution in warfare.”
Given the nature of such emerging threats,
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strengthening international cooperation
based on multi-stakeholder partnerships is critical.
Building partnerships among governments, international organizations,
the private sector and civil society has never been more important.
In the depth of the COVID-19 pandemic,
we have been witnessing inspiring examples of different partners coming together -
such as the development of vaccines in record time and the creation of the ACT-Accelerator.
The WHO-led ACT-Accelerator, in fact,
has set a new standard in global collaboration.
Bringing together governments
with public and private organizations, it has supported one of the most rapid
and coordinated global efforts to end a pandemic.
We must build on these important milestones.
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In my view, the world already has the resources, technology and capacity to respond effectively.
The question is how to mobilize and coordinate such resources to reach those most in need.
It is in this context
that the Korean government launched this Forum.
As a multi-stakeholder platform,
it aims to raise international awareness on the emerging security threats,
and in turn facilitate effective partnerships to address these common challenges together.
The Forum is also part of Korea’s commitment
to serve as a “Global Pivotal State” - which we call GPS - in promoting freedom, peace and prosperity
across the world.
With that,
I look forward to an enlightening discussion
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during the next two days.
Let me close by thanking you once again for joining us. /END/
