Vice Minister Meets with UN High Commissioner for Refugees and WHO Executive Director on Occasion of High-Level Segment of Human Rights Council

On February 24, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina, during her visit to Geneva to attend the High-Level Segment of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, met with Dr. Barham Salih, the new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme.

First, during her meeting with High Commissioner Salih, Vice Minister Kim commended UNHCR's proactive leadership amidst the recent global refugee crisis and explained that the Korean government will continue to fulfill its responsibilities and roles in responding to the worldwide refugee crisis, in line with its vision of being a responsible global power.

High Commissioner Salih expressed his gratitude for the Korean government's continued contributions to responding to the refugee issue over the years, and conveyed his hope that Korea, as one of the major donors to UNHCR and its key partners in the Asian region, would continue to play an active role in addressing the refugee crisis.

Subsequently, during her meeting with Executive Director Ihekweazu, Vice Minister Kim commended WHO's active response to health crises around the world and stressed the Korean government's continued commitment to strengthening global health governance led by WHO. In response, Executive Director Ihekweazu extended his gratitude for the Korean government's ongoing support and contributions to WHO and suggested further strengthening cooperation between Korea and WHO in responding to global health crises.

Meanwhile, Vice Minister Kim requested that UNHCR and WHO pay particular attention to and cooperate with efforts to increase Korean representation within international organizations. Furthermore, Vice Minister Kim held a meeting with Korean employees, including Junior Professional Officers (JPOs), working at international organizations based in Geneva. She listened to different ideas from the staff on the Korean government's support measures for expanding Korean representation in international organizations and encouraged them to continue playing an active role in their respective organizations.