Locations
Seoul Policy Centre
About us
Our work
The UNDP Seoul Policy Centre is a facilitator of innovative development cooperation to catalyse the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Through its SDG Partnerships programme and other South-South and Triangular Cooperation initiatives, the Centre supports countries by sharing innovative, tested-and-proven practices and policy tools of the Republic of Korea with other countries through UNDP's global network and enhances UNDP's partnership with Korea on strategic development issues globally. The Centre's programmatic focus comprises i) Development Cooperation Approaches and Modalities; ii) Governance and Gender; iii) Green Recovery and Transition; and iv) Private Sector Engagement and Development.
The Centre:
- Represents UNDP in Korea
- Works with Korea on international development priorities
- Shares Korea’s development experience and technical expertise with other countries
- Performs pragmatic, policy-relevant research
Our history
Korea’s rise from the rubble of the 1950-53 Korean War is a global development success story — one that many developing countries wish to learn from.
Korea-UNDP's basic agreement on aid signed in 1978 and UNDP's support to Korea from 1966 to 2009 before the closure of the Country Office in 2009
From 1966 to 2009, UNDP supported the people and Government of Korea on their unique development path, delivering over 270 projects with a total budget of $107 million, covering areas such as rural development, water management, industrial development, environmental protection, and social development, with skills development as a cross-cutting theme.
In 2009, UNDP closed its Country Office as Korea joined the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), affirming its status as a developed economy and a significant contributor of development aid. In 2011, the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) commenced its operations, and a new form of cooperation began between the Republic of Korea and UNDP, with USPC sharing Korea’s development experience with other developing countries.
The five-decade-partnership between Korea and UNDP is summarized in the book, “The Republic of Korea and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)” published in 2009 by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The book reviews and highlights UNDP's activities and achievements in Korea’s development.
About UNDP
As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
About the Centre
The UNDP Seoul Policy Centre is an integral part of the Global Policy Network of UNDP. It is co-funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and UNDP, and hosted by Korea University. UNDP’s six global policy centres are located in different parts of the world with different mandates.
