The Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth and its Multi-Year Action Plan were finalized to be included in the resulting document of the 4th United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (UNCLDC), which closed on May 13 (Friday) in Istanbul, Turkey. The decision marks a major turning point in spreading the G20 development consensus, adopted in the 2010 Seoul Summit under the initiative of Korea, in the international community.
The latest UNCLDC was held on May 9-13 for the first time in 10 years since the previous conference in Brussels in 2001. The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Istanbul Action Plan (IAP) as its resulting document. The IAP states that it expects the Consensus and the Plan to contribute to attaining an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth of LDCs. Excerpt of the IAP on the Consensus (IAP Chapter III, Clause 40)
"Development initiatives, including at subregional, regional and international levels, such as the G20 Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth and its Multi-Year Action Plan, are expected to contribute to the attainment of inclusive, sustainable and resilient growth in LDCs."
The UNCLDC in Istanbul was attended by approximately 9,000 participants from 192 UN member countries, including some 30 heads of state and 90 government officials. The fact that G20 development consensus was included in the resulting document of such a large-scale UN conference is deemed particularly meaningful as this could serve as a bridgehead for the consensus to develop into a new paradigm of international development cooperation.
In addition, the inclusion is seen as the UN's official endorsement of the G20 development agenda, which focus on expanding developing countries' capacity for organic growth, and will serve as the foundation on which the major outcomes of the G20 Seoul Summit can be solidified in the international community.
Going forward, the Korean government plans to continue its effort to spread the G20 development agenda in the international community by taking advantage of major diplomatic events, such as the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan and the 4th Korea-Japan-China summit. The Korean government will faithfully fulfill the G20 development pledges and contribute to sustainable development of developing countries by making effort to help the G20 High Level Development Working Group, where Korea serves as the chair along with France and South Africa, produce tangible outcomes.
Aside from the clause regarding the G20 development, the IAP also set an ambitious target to provide support to ensure half of the 48 LDCs graduate from their current status and adopted concrete action plans for eight priority areas identified as necessary to help the sustainable development of LDCs. Eight Priority Areas for Action: Production capacity, development of agriculture, food security, and farms, trade, product diversification and easing volatility, development of human and society, crisis response, securing funds for building development and capacity, and good governance.
