UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) hosted a webinar to share the example of Korea’s One-Stop Service Centre for Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) with UNDP Liberia on 3 December 2020. Korea’s Sunflower Center – a one-stop service centre for supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence - provides counseling, medical, investigation, legal and accompaniment support to survivors of SGBV, and is fully funded by the government.

The webinar was the cornerstone of USPC’s SDG Partnership on “Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of One-stop Service Centers for Survivors of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in Liberia.” The aim was to provide an overview on Korea’s one-stop service centers to which the M&E tools are applied to ensure the provision of quality service in Korea. 

Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Stephan Klingebiel, Director of USPC, and Mr. Rowland Cole, the Chief Technical Advisor/Programme Manager of UNDP Liberia. Mr. Klingebiel underlined that “today’s webinar will help us map out the goals we want to achieve through this triangular partnership between the Government of Korea, Liberia and UNDP” and that “the webinar will be an important milestone in supporting our partners in Liberia to further strengthen the implementation of the Sunflower Center initiative.” 

An overview of the Sunflower Center model was provided by USPC, focusing on the analysis of common challenges and structural problems that persist in bringing support to SGBV survivors in Korea. Ms. Ahjung Lee, Policy Specialist of USPC, emphasized the proven success of the Sunflower Center in Korea. “Despite the fact that Liberia has a good background to support SGBV survivors in synergy with the Ministry of Justice, Health and Gender, we are introducing the Sunflower Center not because it is a unique approach, but because it was successfully implemented and institutionalized over a decade,” she said.

In response to engaging questions from UNDP Liberia and the Ministry of Health and Justice of Liberia, Ms. Hye-young Park, Associate Director of the Seoul Sunflower Center, provided candid answers based on her professional experience in the field and highlighted the survivor-centered approach of the integrated support service mechanism. Regarding inquiries on difficulties of various professionals cooperating within this mechanism, Ms. Park noted that “professionals working in the Sunflower Centers have built a consensus that survivors of SGBV need comprehensive services, and this survivor-centered approach is therefore crucial to all professionals in the field for a successful cooperation.”

Throughout the webinar, the Sunflower Center’s role of ensuring the chance for survivors to access legal justice was emphasized. USPC and UNDP Liberia expressed their anticipation for the future implementation of a one-stop service mechanism in Liberia.

UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) shares Korea’s tested-and-proven policy tools with other countries through SDG Partnerships. SDG Partnerships provide a combination of support, including partnership development with Korean institutions, seed funding, technical assistance, and policy advisory services. It utilizes UNDP’s global policy network of country offices and the policy expertise and know-how of partner organizations.