Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN

Statement by H.E. Mr. Kim Bong-hyun
Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea
Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
28 September 2012
New York


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Mr. Secretary-General,
Mr. High Representative,
Excellencies, Distinguished delegates,

At the outset, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Secretary-General and Mr. High Representative for their insightful remarks. My appreciation also goes to their unwavering commitment to the promotion of intercultural dialogue and understanding.

Mr. High Representative,

My delegation notes with pleasure that the Alliance is consolidating its place as a global platform for intercultural dialogue and understanding. The fifth Annual Report of the High Representative, published last month, clearly shows that the Alliance has transformed itself into an action- and result-oriented initiative aiming at real changes on the ground. Despite its progress, however, recurring incidents stemming from cultural and religious hatred and intolerance remind us that accommodation of freedom of expression and religious intolerance remain as an urgent and daunting challenge to all of us and the Alliance.

Against this backdrop, I would like to underline the following three points with regard to the agenda of today’s meeting.
 
First, I would like to encourage the Alliance to further strengthen its efforts to promote the constructive role of media in addressing the problem of conflicts between the freedom of expression and religious intolerance caused by distrust and misunderstanding between different cultures and religions. With the ever-increasing power of influence of social media, there is a growing need for us to explore innovative ways to utilize them in enhancing intercultural understanding, while minimizing its potential of propagating hatred and extremism. In this regard, I am pleased to note that particular focus is given to media pluralism and diversity of media content in the draft agenda of the Vienna Forum to be held in February next year. I hope the Vienna Forum will provide us with valuable opportunity to seek greater role of media in promoting intercultural tolerance and understanding.

Second, the Alliance’s activities at the national and regional level should be further promoted through specific and practical projects and programs to address the root causes of extremism, intolerance and hatred. My delegation supports the High Representative’s proposal, contained in the Annex four to the Annotated Agenda of this meeting, to further develop the regional footing of the Alliance. It includes through a better implementation of existing Regional Strategies for South Eastern Europe and for the Mediterranean. In this regard, I believe serious consideration should also be given to the possibility of similar cooperation mechanisms in other regions as well. Furthermore, the Alliance should continue to encourage the adoption and implementation of National Plans. The Republic of Korea adopted its National Plan in May last year, and is working diligently to implement it through coordinated efforts of all relevant administrative agencies.

Third, my delegation shares the concern of the High Representative over the limited resources of the Alliance amid the growing demands for its activities with the enlargement of the Group of Friends. In this regard, we note with pleasure that a new Replenishment Mechanism for Alliance’s Trust Fund was initiated with the establishment of Partners’ Assembly comprising diverse funding bases, including governments, international organizations, foundations, corporations and individuals. Given the nature of the Alliance as a multi-stakeholder initiative, we would like to encourage the Alliance to make continued efforts to diversify its funding sources, including, in particular, private sectors.

Mr. High Representative,

In conclusion, I would like to once again express the firm commitment of the Korean Government to the noble cause of the Alliance. 

Thank you.  /End/