From Aid Recipient to Transforming lives in the Asia Pacific

Partnership Spotlight Series: The Republic of Korea

September 24, 2026

The scars of conflicts, poverty, and natural disasters leave lasting marks. Across the Asia-Pacific region, many countries struggle to recover and rebuild after conflicts and disasters. From the mine-contaminated agricultural fields of Lao PDR to disaster prone coastal communities in Viet Nam, the path to recovery can seem steep. The Republic of Korea (ROK) understands this journey, not from a distance, but because they lived it. Emerging from the devastation of war and poverty just a few generations ago, their approach to development is rooted in deep solidarity. Today, ROK’s partnership with UNDP Asia and the Pacific goes beyond traditional aid; it is a shared mission to help communities, rebuild, and transform their lives. Moreover, in a fast-evolving technological world, Korea’s leadership in sharing innovation and AI is helping countries across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond in tackling development challenges more swiftly and effectively.

A little bit of history

Archived photo: In 1952, one of the aid programmes in the Republic of Korea focused on repairing a heavily war-damaged industrial establishment.

Photo credit: United Nations

The history of the Korea-UNDP partnership began in 1966. UNDP’s work in Korea began with the rural development sector in the 1960s, shortly after Korea’s post war reconstruction. UNDP played an important role in supporting the development of Korea, delivering more than 270 developments projects that helped lay the groundwork for Korea’s transformation. Since then, this partnership has evolved into something new.

Today Korea stands out as one of the top funding partners including rural livelihood to technology support globally. In 2025, it was listed under top 20 largest contributor to UNDP’s core resources.

Video 1: The United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA), which was created by the General Assembly in 1951.

Video 2: UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo on his visit to South Korea, where he highlighted the ROK’s partnership with UNDP and its contribution to development.

Here are the stories from across the region where UNDP has partnered with the ROK on different areas from crisis to long term recovery.

Photo: child in beige clothes stands beneath a large hanging tire swing in a sunlit forest. — Photo credit: UNDP Lao

Fifty years after the conflict, in Lao PDR, the insidious legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) continues to claim and maim lives hindering economic opportunities posing a significant barrier to safe and sustainable development. To address the massive cluster munition contamination, in 1996, UNDP together with the Government of Lao PDR established the Lao PDR UXO programme, known as UXO Lao. The programme is responsible for the surveying, clearing and delivering explosive ordnance risk education across the most contaminated provinces in Laos. Later, in 2006, UNDP supported the government in the establishment of the National Regulatory Authority(NRA), the government office responsible for the oversight of the sector.

Group of hikers in khaki clothing and wide-brimmed hats pose in a dusty desert landscape under a blue sky.

Scale model of a hilly landscape on a classroom table with red pins and blue flags.

Currently, UNDP supports in driving effectiveness and efficiencies in the sector which includes technical, strategic and policy support to the NRA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The focus is on coordinating and support demining and risk education field activities, through two national operators, UXO Lao and Centre 523 of the Lao People’s Army. To date, the UNDP funded UXO programme has cleared over 58,000 hectares of land - equivalent to over 72,000 football fields - across 16 provinces, destroying over 1.3 million UXOs, including more than 780,000 cluster munitions. More than 200,000 people each year have been able to safely access and use their land for farming and income-generating activities.

Rural scene with a raised wooden hut on stilts and a blue roof, solar panels nearby, green fields. — Photo credit: UNDP Cambodia

Meanwhile in Cambodia, thirty years after the conflicts, the country remains one of the world's most heavily landmine-contaminated countries, with over 65,000 people reported killed or injured by mines and unexploded ordnance. Since 2006, the Clearing for Results Project supported the clearance and release of over 384 square kilometers of contaminated land for safe use and local development and provided physiotherapy services and prosthetics to 49,055 people with disabilities, of which 21,652 are landmine survivors, and 12,232 are women as of 2025. ROK supported the phase four of the project which released 182.8 km2 of land. In addition, the project provided skill training and livelihood support to 1,021 mine survivors or their family members including 419 women.

Through the Promoting the Use of Solar Technologies in Rural Development and Agriculture in Cambodia and Myanmar (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), with support from the Republic of Korea, over 9,500 rural farmers benefited from innovative agricultural practices and 2,072 households through an improved value chain and adoption of solar water pumping solutions. Smallholder farmers have been trained and equipped with additional skills and tools to implement these practices, resulting in reduced post-harvest losses, improved crop yields, better management of natural resources, and increased resilience to climate-related risks such as droughts and floods. In total, the project has 433.69 tonnes of carbon emission annually from this intervention. Most importantly, the co-financing modality resulted in USD 243,471 resources mobilized from local partners which have positively impacted the livelihoods of farmers and enhanced food security.

Similary,“Enhancing Integrated Water Management and Climate Resilience in Vulnerable Urban Areas of the Mekong River Basin,” funded by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea, UNDP in collaboration with the National Committee for Disaster Management and People in Need worked to embed disaster risk management into local governance. Local leaders received practical training in emergency coordination, risk communication and safe evacuation, while communities were equipped with the knowledge and procedures needed to respond to disaster alerts. These efforts reached more than 46,000people, with particular attention paid to women's participation.

Video 3: Interview of H.E Kim Chang Young Korean Ambassador of Korea to Cambodia on advancing mine action supporting safer communities and inclusive recovery.

Photo: six people sit on steps in front of a blue house with open shutters, smiling. — Photo credit: UNDP Viet Nam

In Viet Nam, decades after the war, Explosive Ordnance (EO) and UXO still pose a massive threat to human life and rural development. Through the collaborative efforts of UNDP, Viet Nam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC), the Provincial People’s Committees of Quang Binh and Binh Dinh, and the Republic of Korea via the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korea-Viet Nam Mine Action Project (KVMAP) (2018–2021) successfully surveyed 16,880 hectares and cleared 10,365 hectares, while assisting over 1,400 UXO survivors with medical screenings, rehabilitation, and livelihood support, along with providing COVID-19 relief packages to over 6,000 survivors and their families in Quang Binh and Binh Dinh.

Building upon this, the ongoing Korea-Vietnam Peace Village Project has expanded into Thua Thien Hue, Quang Ngai, and Gia Lai with the coordination of local PPCs, achieving 13,558 hectares of technical surveys and 3,944 hectares of land clearance by June 2026. These integrated humanitarian and development initiatives have successfully returned safe land for rural communities, delivered 400 climate-resilient houses alongside progress on commune health stations, advanced agricultural resilience through specialized farmer training models, assisted nearly 200 UXO survivors with medical support, and educated nearly 700,000 residents through explosive ordnance risk programs.

Through the Inclusive Early Recovery and Reconstruction Project, Korea’s support delivered tangible results for some of the most vulnerable communities in Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, and Thai Nguyen. The project provided housing reconstruction or repair support to 205 affected households, including 59 new houses and 146 repaired houses; delivered unconditional cash assistance to 1,217 households; and provided 500 household relief kits. Beyond household-level assistance, the project completed 10 community infrastructure projects, supported 15 local cooperatives to restore production and livelihoods. The project helped communities build back better through resilient housing, rehabilitation of essential rural infrastructure, reconstruction of school sanitation facilities, livelihood recovery, and strengthened local disaster preparedness and response capacity. In this way, the partnership between the Republic of Korea and UNDP transformed timely humanitarian emergency assistance into resilient and inclusive recovery, and sustainable development in some of Viet Nam’s most disaster-affected and vulnerable communities.

Rugged rocky quarry site with a small dump truck and workers in hi-vis vests under a blue sky. — Photo credit: UNDP Myanmar

In the 1950s, when South Korea was devastated by the Korean War and facing severe famine, Myanmar was one of the countries that stepped up to send rice and food aid to the Korean people. Today, the tables have turned. As Myanmar faces overlapping crises, including conflict, economic instability, and a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake in March 2025, the Republic of Korea is actively returning that solidarity. One year after the earthquake in Myanmar, community-led recovery efforts are supporting sustainable reconstruction. Of approximately 24,200 homes damaged or destroyed, around 2,500 have already been repaired or reconstructed, with nearly 2,000 supported by UNDP with financial support from the Republic of Korea and other core funding donors, benefiting more than 9,400 people. UNDP plans to scale up these efforts, aiming to support up to 9,500 additional homes. Beyond housing recovery, UNDP has supported the removal of more than 75,000 metric tons of debris and the rehabilitation of essential community infrastructure, benefiting over 1 million people. It has also improved access to safe water for nearly 200,000 people, delivered household emergency assistance packages to almost 49,000 people, and restored livelihoods for more than 35,000 people, helping communities recover with dignity and resilience.

Video 4: Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Myanmar, Mr. Bae Byeongsoo, and UNDP Myanmar Resident Representative Norimasa Shimomura visit earthquake-affected communities and early recovery projects in Mandalay in October 2025.

Construction worker in orange vest and yellow hard hat walking on a dirt road with mountains. — Photo credit: UNDP Afghanistan

In 2025, the earthquake struck in Afghanistan claimed lives of 1,992 people and injured 3,631 others. More than 8,200 homes were destroyed or damaged, with some of the most severe destruction occurring in remote and hard-to-reach rural areas. One year after the 2025 earthquake, Sutan village in Nangarhar, Afghanistan is rebuilding with support from the Republic of Korea through Relief, Employment, and Vital Infrastructure (REVIVE) initiative and UNDP. Recovery efforts include 205 earthquake-resilient buildings, including homes and two health facilities. Of these, 203 were shelters for vulnerable families, including returnees displaced again by the earthquake. approach. UNDP provided technical guidance, engineering expertise and construction support, while families voluntarily contributed between 10 and 50 per cent of the costs.

Women in headscarves sit on a mat inside a tent; a blue-vest facilitator speaks near a banner.

Three people at a construction site beside a stone wall; one in orange safety vest, others in hard hats.

Curved stone wall of rounded pebbles beside a dirt path in a park.

Group of people in blue gowns gathered around a tree outdoors, with a blue-and-white backdrop.

Rehabilitating irrigation canals and karezes has improved water access for farmers. Repairing roads and culverts helped communities to access to markets and health services. The initiative has also constructed protection walls to reduce the impact of floods and landslides and planted 35,000 trees to limit erosion and restore degraded land. The programme also supported the protection of 750 jeribs(traditional land measurement unit) of farmland, restored irrigation for 500 jeribs, and reliable electricity for around 12,000 people through the Shimol hybrid solar-hydro mini-grid. The initiative has also installed emergency greenhouses for household food production and deployed small-scale solar fruit dryers to extend food supplies and reduce waste.

Delivery worker in white cap and mask unloading a blue box from a truck at a loading area. — Photo credit: UNDP Pakistan

In Pakistan, following the 2022 floods, the Republic of Korea, through KOICA, is supporting flood-affected communities in District Dadu, Sindh, through UNDP Pakistan’s Flood Recovery Programme. The project is rehabilitating flood-damaged agricultural land and restoring irrigation infrastructure to improve agricultural productivity, and establishing solar-powered community water-supply systems to provide access to safe and reliable domestic water. It is also strengthening the capacities of farmers, relevant government officials, and community water-management committees to promote sustainable agriculture and integrated water management. The project is expected to benefit nearly 19,000 people in District Dadu, helping communities restore livelihoods while strengthening resilience to future climate-related shocks.

Panelists sit at a long wooden table in a wood-paneled room; audience sits in green chairs.

Bearded man in a dark polo with red stripes, standing in a wood-paneled room.

For many people living in the remote, mountainous areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, accessing justice once required arduous journeys of several days, often through rugged terrain, severe weather, climate catastrophes and seasonal isolation. In 2025, with support from the Republic of Korea and other partners, UNDP expanded the virtual courts system to Chilas, Skardu and Gilgit, as well as to prisons in Minawar, Diamer and Ghizer. The initiative has increased access to justice for nearly one million people, including almost half a million women, while enabling more than 350 undertrial and convicted prisoners to participate in judicial proceedings remotely. By reducing travel time and costs, virtual courts are making justice services more accessible, efficient and responsive for communities across Gilgit-Baltistan. Under the same initiative, UNDP also supported the Ministry of Law to strengthen monitoring of the progress of the Rule of Law Roadmap implementation through a digital dashboard, enhancing transparency, accountability and responsiveness to the justice and security needs of the people in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Video 5: Story focusing on how litigants and lawyers have benefited from the virtual courts system.

While digital transformation offers immense benefits, its intersection with political and economic instability can pose serious risks, including profound implications for gender equality and women’s rights. Online harassment, cyberstalking and digital abuse disproportionately target women and marginalized groups. A recent survey reveals that more than 38 percent of women have experienced online violence. Yet fewer than half of countries have laws against online abuse, and enforcement remains weak, leaving survivors without remedies and perpetrators unpunished.

Building on collaboration since 2017 through the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC), UNDP and the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) formalised their partnership in 2023 to combat technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). The initiative draws on KNPA’s expertise in cyber investigations, digital forensics and survivor-centred policing to strengthen law-enforcement capacities and support broader institutional and policy reforms. Starting from a three-country pilot, the programme has expanded into a multi-phase global initiative across 16 partner countries, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Maldives and Thailand in the Asia-Pacific region. Its work spans institutional capacity building, including training for law enforcement on survivor-centered investigative techniques for TFGBV cases in alignment with the sexual harassment prevention law, and the development of standard operating procedures for police on TFGBV, technology-enabled policing and digital-forensics tools, bolstered by the promotion of existing online reporting platforms to improve responses to TFGBV cases, evidence-informed legal and policy reform,such as the operationalization of the court's take it down mechanisms, and stronger community safeguards through multi-stakeholder approaches.

Complementing this global partnership, USPC is also supporting country-level TFGBV responses through its SDG Partnerships programme. In Pakistan, the initiative supports a more coordinated, survivor-centred national protection system, building on the country’s first National Strategy to Counter TFGBV. It is strengthening institutional coordination, reporting and response mechanisms, and prevention, while drawing on Korean experience, including through technical exchange with the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea (WHRIK), on survivor-centred TFGBV response, ethical evidence handling and survivor protection. A Technical Working Group is also being established to support the proposed National TFGBV Coordination Cell.

These partnerships illustrate the broader role of the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre, which connects countries with tested and innovative policy approaches from ROK through UNDP’s global network. Through its SDG Partnerships and other cooperation modalities, USPC facilitates the adaptation of ROK policy tools and expertise to different national contexts, while promoting South-South and Triangular Cooperation and peer learning.

This model of policy exchange and institutional cooperation also extends to anti-corruption and integrity. USPC has worked with Korea’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) and partners across the Asia-Pacific, including Viet Nam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Mongolia and Sri Lanka, to adapt ROK's approaches to corruption prevention, integrity assessment and digital reporting. This cooperation is now extending to Tonga and Vanuatu, where USPC is working with the UNDP Pacific Office and ACRC to strengthen whistleblower protection and broader integrity systems. Following Tonga’s adoption of its Whistleblower Protection Act in 2025 and ongoing legislative discussions in Vanuatu, cooperation is focusing on implementation, institutional procedures and capacity development, including technical exchange with ACRC.

In the fragile hills and fast-growing cities of Nepal, UNDP, Pokhara Metropolitan City and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is transforming municipal plastic waste into green jobs. The Green Job Creation through Recycling and Upcycling in Pokhara Metropolitan City project is promoting the green economy by establishing recycling/upcycling (RU) enterprises based on the circular economy model, in place of the current 'throw away' approach, thereby increasing green jobs, and reducing pollution and environmental impact of solid waste. The project will soon establish a Green Venture Zone (GVZ) to incentivize existing and potential RU enterprises. Moreover, the project will strengthen community awareness of waste collection and segregation to ensure the supply of clean materials required for RU enterprises.

Group of children with colorful hats run a pretend market booth on a stage with red curtains.

The Republic of Korea’s strategic support has successfully bridged immediate relief with sustainable recovery. By addressing several needs in housing, employment, water, energy, health, and disaster preparedness, UNDP and its partners continue to champion the transition from crisis to resilience. Emergency assistance will always be a critical first step, but empowering communities to rebuild their livelihoods and protect their assets is the ultimate key to breaking the cycle of vulnerability.