SEOUL, 3 November 2015 –Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez affirmed the Philippines’ support for inclusive partnership for sustainable development byrepresenting the Philippinesduring the Opening Ceremony of the “9th Seoul Official Development Assistance (ODA) International Conference” that was hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) on 27 October 2015 at the Shilla hotel in Seoul.

This major event provided a venue for an exchange of views on the important role of ODA in supporting the efforts of developing countries to attain economic and social development and on the fundamental issues of good governance and institution building that are prerequisites for achieving sustainable development. In their remarks, Mr. Young-Mok Kim, President of KOICA and the Honorable Tae-yul Cho, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the need for the international community to enhance cooperation in forging an inclusive partnership that would be the most effective tool in achieving inclusive sustainable growth. In his keynote speech, Mr. Erik Solheim, Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, stressed the importance of reforming ODA through the utilization of ODA as a catalyst to increase private flows and investments in least developmentcountries and developing countries and to improve the relationship between ODA goals and the allocation of resources. Mr. Solheim also emphasized partnerships for development and ownership of development priorities by developing countries. Since its inception in 2007, the Seoul ODA Conference has been held annually in Seoul to share ROK’s development experience and to discuss issues in international development cooperation. The ROK is an importance partner in the Philippines’ economic development. As of 2014, the ROK was the Philippines’ 7th largest source of ODA amounting to US$598.61 million.