South Korea said Wednesday it will hold talks with the U.N. food aid agency on promoting partnerships in the global fight against hunger.
A six-member delegation from the World Food Program is visiting here for the first round of annual consultations between the two sides. It is led by Claudia von Roehl, head of the office of government partnerships at the Rome-based organization.
She plans to hold a meeting with Oh Yeoung-ju, director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s development cooperation bureau, later in the day.
“The two sides plan to discuss ways for cooperation in the development field,” the ministry said in a press release.
Also on the agenda is the WFP’s humanitarian assistance in Iraq and other major conflict-ridden areas and South Korea’s aid program there.
South Korea is an ardent supporter of the WFP’s campaign to achieve “zero hunger” in the world.
Ministry officials said the meeting will focus on South Korea’s overall official development assistance program rather than specific food aid for North Korea.
The WFP delegation is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Rep. Na Kyung-won, chairwoman of the National Assembly’s foreign affairs committee, and attend a seminar on the zero hunger campaign hosted by the Korean Parliamentary League on Children, Population and Environment.
The WFP is the U.N.’s largest humanitarian aid arm, accounting for more than 60 percent of the world’s food assistance.
South Korea’s contributions to WFP operations globally reached $31 million last year alone. (Yonhap)
