The Korea Herald brought together four officials from around the world to explore ways to better implement the Sustainable Development Goals set forward early this year by 193 countries at the U.N.

They are Erik Solheim, chair of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee; Hideaki Domichi, senior vice president at the Japan International Cooperation Agency; Jeroen Verheul, ambassador-at-large for development cooperation at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Kim Young-mok, president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency.

The roundtable took place on the sidelines of the ninth Seoul ODA International Conference hosted by the state aid agency and the Foreign Ministry for a two-day run. Some 600 policymakers, diplomats and experts took part in the event, themed “Inclusive Partnership in the post-2015 Framework.”

In line with the theme of the forum, the participants unanimously voiced the significance of collaboration. Without bringing onboard businesses and civil society, the international community would not be able to cater to enormous demands for infrastructure development, realize the 17 goals and 169 targets and thus plug the gap between the rich and developing worlds, they said.

The SDGs are a set of targets on international development agreed upon among the governments for international development. The final document was adopted in September and includes goals to end poverty and hunger and improve health and education, all while fighting climate change and making cities more sustainable.

While lauding Korea’s stellar ascent from an aid recipient to a rising donor, they also called on the country to step up its contributions both financially and institutionally, such as by linking assistance, private investment and taxes.

Available at: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20151028001108