Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung to attend high-level meeting co-hosted by UN and Spain; Seoul to sign MOUs with Spain and Senegal

Minister of Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung delivers opening remarks at a policy forum on the social solidarity economy for newly elected local officials from the ninth round of local elections, held at The Plaza hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on June 29. [Ministry of Interior and Safety]
Minister of Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung delivers opening remarks at a policy forum on the social solidarity economy for newly elected local officials from the ninth round of local elections, held at The Plaza hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on June 29. [Ministry of Interior and Safety]

South Korea is stepping up its international cooperation on the social solidarity economy.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced Wednesday that Minister Yun Ho-jung will travel to New York to attend a high-level meeting on the social solidarity economy co-hosted by the UN and the Spanish government, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The visit is aimed at sharing South Korea's policy progress and institutional achievements — including the enactment of the Framework Act on the Social Solidarity Economy — with the international community, and at building a broader cooperative foundation spanning governments, international organizations and private institutions. South Korea is a founding member of the Group of Friends of Social and Solidarity Economy.

The meeting, held in conjunction with the UN General Assembly's high-level week, will bring together 14 countries, including member states of the Group of Friends of Social and Solidarity Economy.

The agenda includes the presentation of a UN secretary-general's report on the implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution 79/213 — adopted in April 2024 to promote the social solidarity economy for sustainable development — as well as discussions toward the adoption of a third UN General Assembly resolution on the social solidarity economy in 2027.

As a founding member of the Group of Friends, South Korea will also share its institutional and policy achievements, including the enactment of the Framework Act on the Social Solidarity Economy and the establishment of a comprehensive national plan, and discuss ways to strengthen international cooperation in the sector.

Yun is also set to sign memorandums of understanding on social solidarity economy cooperation with Spain and Senegal. He will hold a bilateral meeting with Spanish Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor and Social Economy Yolanda Díaz Pérez, at which the two sides will sign an MOU on cooperation in the field.

The agreement covers eight areas of cooperation, including legislative and institutional reform, policy development and joint research, measurement of social value and indicator development, and social solidarity finance.

Spain enacted Europe's first comprehensive social economy law in 2011, and the two countries are expected to have broad scope for institutional exchange going forward.

Yun will then sign a separate MOU with Senegalese Minister of Microfinance and Social Solidarity Economy Alioune Dione, whose country co-chairs the Group of Friends.

Senegal enacted its own framework act on the social solidarity economy in 2021 and established a dedicated ministry for the sector, making it a leader in social solidarity economy policy on the African continent. The two sides plan to use the meeting as an opportunity to share their legislative, institutional and policy experiences, and to explore practical cooperation linking the social solidarity economy efforts of Asia and Africa.

Meanwhile, Yun will meet with Li Junhua, under-secretary-general of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, to discuss expanding their existing cooperation in public administration and digital government into the social solidarity economy. He will also meet with Abraham Kim, president of the Korea Society, which has worked to promote exchanges between South Korea and the United States since its founding in 1957.

"This visit will be an opportunity to share our institutional achievements — including the enactment of the Framework Act on the Social Solidarity Economy and the establishment of a comprehensive plan — with the international community, and to further invigorate international exchanges for the promotion of the social solidarity economy," Yun said. "The government will continue to work closely with member states of the Group of Friends to ensure that South Korea plays a leading role in global discussions on the social solidarity economy."


thlee@heraldcorp.com