Vice Foreign Minister Holds Talks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees: "Korea Will Continue Its Role in Responding to Refugee Crises"

Visit to Geneva for United Nations Human Rights Council high-level segment
Meeting with WHO Assistant Director-General as well... "Korea's continued cooperation on global health governance"

On the 24th (local time), Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina held separate meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, with the new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Assistant Director-General in charge of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme.

Kim Jina, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Barham Salli, the new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 24th (local time). Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 25th, during her meeting with High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Sali, Vice Minister Kim stated, "Under the vision of becoming a responsible global pivotal state, our government will continue to fulfill its responsibility and role in responding to refugee crises around the world."

In response, High Commissioner Sali said, "The Korean government has made continuous contributions over a long period of time to resolving refugee issues," adding, "In particular, as one of the main donors to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and a key partner country in Asia, I look forward to the Korean government continuing to play an active role in resolving refugee issues in the future."

Vice Minister Kim also met with WHO Assistant Director-General Chikwe Ihekweazu, expressing the Korean government's continued commitment to strengthening global health governance centered on the WHO. Assistant Director-General Ihekweazu expressed his appreciation for the Korean government's continued support and contributions to the WHO, and proposed that cooperation between Korea and the WHO be further strengthened in responding to future global health crises.

This meeting took place on the occasion of Vice Minister Kim's visit to Geneva to attend the high-level segment of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The previous day, she attended the high-level segment and stated that inter-Korean dialogue should be pursued to resolve humanitarian issues such as separated families, abductees, detainees, and prisoners of war.

Meanwhile, Vice Minister Kim also took time to communicate with Korean staff members working at international organizations based in Geneva, including Junior Professional Officers (JPOs).