#123 Development Assistance: A New Level of Bilateral Cooperation

[스티븐스 대사]

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  USAID provides assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms. 

In its early years, the Republic of Korea received USAID development assistance.  USAID provided extensive technical support to the officials and agencies responsible for South Korea's export drive, and helped improve South Korea's health, education, and agriculture sectors.  I still meet Koreans of a certain age who vividly recall the food assistance, or the business loan, or the scholarship that they or their families received from the U.S. government, and who tell me how it changed their lives.

We all know that aid alone cannot bring a nation out of poverty.  Aid certainly played a role, but the Republic of Korea was successful due to the hard work and ingenuity of the Korean people. 

That’s why Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that South Korea “approaches development with a unique credibility as one of the great success stories of the 20th century.”  Secretary Clinton notes that over a relatively short period, the country has “moved from being an aid recipient to an important donor nation.”  From one of the poorest nations on earth fifty years ago, South Korea has grown into one of the world’s largest economies, with globally recognized products, and the highest broadband internet penetration on the planet.

 
I took these photographs of a typical farmer and his family’s house in Chung-nam, Yesan,
where I lived in the mid-70s.

I witnessed some of this transformation.  When I arrived in Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1975, thatched roofs were still common in the countryside, there was too little wood or other fuel to keep classrooms heated in the winter, and the ROK’s per capita GDP had only recently caught up with the DPRK’s. But even then, as hard as life was, change was in the air.  In two short years in the Korean countryside, I could see people’s lives improving – in ways small and large – by the day, and opportunities for more education and better jobs kept growing. 

During my time as Ambassador, I have seen South Korea join in 2009 the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD.  South Korea increased its development assistance to $1.5 billion U.S. dollars this year, with a plan to increase it to over $3 billion by 2013.  Even more than providing money, the Republic of Korea stands as a powerful example to developing countries of the “can-do” spirit and good policies that underpinned Korea’s extraordinary economic and democratic blossoming.

Secretary Clinton with Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan in Washington, June 24, 2011

On June 24, 2011, in Washington DC, ROK Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, together with the heads of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), signed an agreement to cooperate on development assistance.  The United States has agreements with a few other countries like Japan and Australia, but this new agreement with Korea is notable for being comprehensive and signed at a high political level. 

Our cooperation will initially focus on maternal and children's health in Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions in greatest need.  Each year more than 500,000 women, 99 percent of them in developing countries, die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications, and an additional 15 to 20 million women suffer debilitating consequences of pregnancy.  Most of these deaths and illnesses are preventable.  The ROK, with its world-class medical practitioners, is well-equipped to assist women in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions in this vital humanitarian mission. 

The United States and Korea are already working together on aid programs.  One in particular stands out to me.

You all remember the terrible earthquake in Haiti a year and a half ago.  The U.S., Korea, and many other countries, both as governments and private citizens, provided a lot of disaster relief assistance to Haiti. 

I was impressed by the interest Koreans took in Haiti.  It came from Koreans’ own sense of wanting to help in a situation that really needed it.  Equally important are the Korean businesses who are making an impact on the rebuilding Haitian economy.  I wrote a blog on this topic earlier – you can read it here.

I expect that similar cooperative ventures, where American and Korean efforts complement each other, will multiply as our development agreement goes into effect. 

 
I have enjoyed meeting KOICA volunteers

Over these last three years as Ambassador, I have enjoyed meeting many volunteers: KOICA volunteers, World Friends volunteers, U.S. Peace Corps volunteers. 

Just a few weeks ago I met a couple of KOICA volunteers who had recently returned from two years serving in Ethiopia.  They told me about their experience getting to know Peace Corps volunteers there.  The KOICA and Peace Corps volunteers were involved in different programs: The KOICA volunteers were opening up computer classrooms for Ethiopian students and the Peace Corps volunteers were involved in community development.  But the two groups of volunteers – one Korean, one American – found ways they could work together. 

 
Speaking on the Blue House Lawn – World Friends Korea 3rd Anniversary (Photo: Michael Hurt)

On May 23rd I was invited to the Blue House to mark the third anniversary of World Friends Korea.  This is Korea’s overseas volunteer service, very similar to our Peace Corps.  I was asked to say a few words.  I told the volunteers to focus on three goals, which I first learned as the “Peace Corps three goals”: First, share your skills and hard work with those who need it; second, remember you are probably the first Korean most people have met, so be a good ambassador for your country NOW, at a relatively young age; and third, be an ambassador for the countries you’ve served in for the rest of your lives.  Others enjoyed the event too; here are two other blogs about it: here and here.

This year, the United States is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps and USAID.  Korea is celebrating the 20th anniversary of KOICA and the 15th anniversary of the ROK’s accession to the OECD. 

Our countries are building on these legacies to position ourselves to tackle the issues of the 21st Century.  As we celebrate these anniversaries, we are also looking forward:  Busan will host the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in November. With our combined efforts to address some of the biggest development challenges in the world, we’ve set a new standard for cooperation. 

And Netizens:  As I approach the end of my tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Korea, I will continue to post blogs on topics I choose, but I also want to be sure I respond to your questions and interests.  So the floor is open; if you send me your questions, I will try to answer as many as possible as well as I can in the coming weeks!

    

[stupid tom]

In 1975 I was a student of elementary school. And this morning, I took a deep breath keeping a smell of country imaging more of your photo. Always your blog have a place in my mind. On top of all, the end of page gave me a happy : ) Thanks.

[Peter_Kim]

Ambassador Stephens, you truly are such an amazing example of being a great diplomat. Will you let us know what you will be doing after your tenure ends in Korea?

[당나귀]

In Korean War, 37.000 young american soldiers had died for the freedom of korean peninsula. 30 soldiers everyday had died during 1950 ~ 1953. Their ultimate sacrifices had made the foundation of South Korea's prosperity. Let's not forget their sacrifices forever !