EMERGING ASIAN APPROACHES TO DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
Busan HLF-4 highlights evolving sector
Asia Foundation President David Arnold led our delegation to HLF-4 in Busan—the largest-ever gathering to discuss international development cooperation. Over 3,000 participants from 160 countries came together to assess global progress in improving the impact and effectiveness of aid, and set a new development agenda. As part of HLF-4, we hosted a side event, "Emerging Asian Approaches to Development Cooperation," in partnership with the Korean Development Institute (KDI) and Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment. More than 250 delegates participated, making it one of the most popular sessions of the forum. It was thrilling to watch the highly interactive discussion that ensued, where participants addressed the key ingredients for growth, such as the compatibility of aid principles with Asian approaches and partnership-based development. The event culminated a successful year-long research workshop series organized jointly by the Foundation and KDI. We agreed to convene a second round of workshops focusing on pro-poor growth in New Delhi, Beijing, and Seoul in 2012. We also facilitated the signing of a path-breaking agreement with the Korea International Cooperation Agency for its first-ever grant to a foreign NGO to support The Asia Foundation's Local Economic Governance Program in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the Foundation continues to seek to increase North Korea's capacity to improve the welfare of its people and encourage economic reform and opening. The Foundation co-hosted a two-week trip to the United States by 12 mid-level officials from key North Korean ministries and institutions, including visits to Silicon Valley companies and Stanford University.
— KYUNG-SOOK LEE
Senior Program Officer, Seoul