A quarter-century of impressive human development progress continues to leave many people behind, with systemic, often unmeasured, barriers to catching up. A stronger focus on those excluded and on actions to dismantle these barriers is urgently needed to ensure sustainable human development for all. These are the key findings of the Human Development Report 2016: Human Development for Everyone, launched at Korea University on 16 May by the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Korea University, following the global release of the Report in March this year.

he United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Seoul Policy Centre opened the 2017 Seoul Debates today, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Gender and Family of the Republic of Korea, with the aim to identify effective ways to address Gender-based Violence (GBV) by sharing lessons learnt from Korea and around the world.

Government policymakers from Thailand’s Comptroller General’s Department (CGD) participated in a study mission to Seoul co-hosted by the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) and the Infrastructure Headquarters of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) of the Republic of Korea on 5 April, 2017.

A quarter-century of impressive human development progress continues to leave many people behind, with systemic, often unmeasured, barriers to catching up. A stronger focus on those excluded and on actions to dismantle these barriers is urgently needed to ensure sustainable human development for all.

The UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC), in partnership with the UNDP Vietnam Country Office, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) of the Republic of Korea, and the Government Inspectorate of Vietnam, organized a national workshop in Hanoi to review the outcome of the 2016 Provincial Anti-Corruption Assessment (PACA) Tool, developed based on the successful experience of the Korean ACRC’s Anti-Corruption Initiative Assessment (AIA) tool and experiences, and piloted in all 63 provincial people’s committees of Vietnam within less than two years.

Government policymakers from Tunisia participated in a study mission to Seoul and Sejong City co-hosted by the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) and Korean government institutions including the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) of the Republic of Korea and the Infrastructure Headquarters of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) on 6-10 March, 2017.

Government representatives and UNDP programme managers from Afghanistan visited the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) as part of a study mission facilitated by the USPC from 27 Feb to 9 March, 2017.

On 24 February 2017, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Seoul Policy Centre organized the “Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 Int’l Conference on Focusing on Sustainable Forestry” at the Holiday Inn in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

This publication is produced on the occasion of the SDGs Roundtable on the topic of sustainable urban development. It is a compilation of the presentations by international and Korean experts on this topic, shared on 14 October, 2016, at Korea University.

On 17 January, the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre took part in a high level signing ceremony of the CAFI Joint Declaration held in Daejon, whereby the Republic of Korea became the 7th donor to join the Central African Forest Initiative. The Declaration was signed by Dr SHIN Won-Sop, Minister of the Korea Forest Service, and the ceremony was also attended by Norway's Ambassador to Korea, Jan Ole Grevstad.

The UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC), in partnership with the UNDP Jordan Country Office, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) of the Republic of Korea, and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing of Jordan, organized a webinar on 15 December, 2016, with the aim to share with Jordan the experiences and lessons learnt from SMG’s Clean Construction System (CCS) for efficient public administration and transparency in construction management.

Korea and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) celebrated 50 years of partnership in Seoul on 14 November, 2016, in an event that consisted of a photo exhibition and a gala event under the title “UNDP-Korea at 50: Retrospective and Prospect.” Going beyond celebrating UNDP’s 50th anniversary, the event was also a celebration of the longstanding partnership between UNDP and Korea, and commemoration of the development progress made by the Government and people of Korea in the past five decades.

Officials from Ukraine and Vietnam, consisting of government policymakers and UNDP programme managers, participated in a study mission to Seoul co-hosted by the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) and the Infrastructure Headquarters of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) of the Republic of Korea on 3-4 November, 2016.

The Director of UNDP Seoul Policy Centre, Ms. Anne Marie Sloth Carlsen, presented UNDP’s work in the area of climate change at the Seminar on Climate Change Projects and Programs (CCPP) in Incheon. Ms. Carlsen provided an overview of UNDP and its climate change-related programs, and described how support for...

In a recent interview with Daily Development, the Director of the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre spoke about the importance of fighting corruption as part of the new development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals that were just adopted by governments in New York.   Read what the Director has to say online...