Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, Fellow delegates,

I would like to first extend my congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations.

I would also like to congratulate you, Mr. Lykketoft, former Speaker of the Danish Parliament, on your election as President of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly.

The United Nations, established seventy years ago after overcoming the calamities of war, was a beacon of hope for all people around the world.

This was because of the trust and hope towards the UN’s spirit of putting people at the center despite the constraints of realpolitik.

Despite the many challenges and criticisms, the UN has been making tremendous contributions to promoting the common good for humanity.

Even as we speak, the blue helmets – a symbol of peace – of UN Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) are greatly contributing to international peace and security.

The adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948 provided a groundbreaking occasion to promote human rights, while the establishment of the Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC) marked conspicuous progress towards institutionalizing the protection of human rights.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), launched in 2000, was the most successful poverty eradication campaign in the history of the UN, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty.

And few places in the world would see the UN’s efforts make as much a difference as in the Republic of Korea.

This year also carries special meaning for the Republic of Korea – a year that brings both the joy of marking the 70th anniversary of our liberation and the anguish of going into the 70th year of our division.

During the past 70 years, the Republic of Korea rose above the ordeals of partition and war and went on to simultaneously achieve industrialization and democratization and the UN has stood with the Republic of Korea since the founding of our government to this very day.

The values and ideals upheld by the UN – global peace, promoting human rights and common prosperity – embodied the very vision of the Republic of Korea. And the future that Korea is envisioning is in sync with the aspirations of the UN.

The challenges pursued and achievements made by the Republic of Korea over the years are a testament to how the UN’s goal for a better world has been successfully manifested.

Mr. President,

Notwithstanding these efforts by the UN and the international community, humanity today is confronted with multiple, simultaneous challenges in all corners of the world.

To this day, there is no shortage of conflicts, big and small, and extreme civil wars.

The surge in extremist groups that ISIL represents is now a global concern that needs to be urgently addressed.

A single photo of Aylan Kurdi captures how such instability is unleashing the greatest humanitarian refugee crisis since the Second World War.

Global climate change is even threatening the lives of our future generations; Ebola and other infectious diseases are causing countless victims, awakening us to the importance of health security.

Today, no one in our global village is free from these global and transnational threats and challenges.

As the international order experiences these tectonic shifts, now, more than ever, is the time to once again light up the beacon of hope, that is the UN throughout the world to promote international peace and security, human rights and common prosperity.

Above all, the international community should rally around the UN and return to the founding spirit of the UN Charter that calls for faith “in the dignity and worth of the human person.”

We must build a UN that is strong, carry the banner of renewed multilateralism, and realize the value of human dignity based on freedom, human rights, justice, and the rule of law.

As a nation that puts the peace and happiness of our global village at the center of its diplomatic endeavors, Korea will spare no effort and support the UN in addressing the challenges faced by the international community, while highlighting the ideals of humanism and the need to live up to those ideals.

Mr. President,

The UN’s drive to produce a new post-2015 development agenda is also anchored to this people-centered spirit.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit three days ago, will set a historic milestone towards a better world that leaves no one behind.

No more than half a century ago, the Republic of Korea was among the poorest countries in the world. Today, it is one of the world’s top fifteen economies.

In the course of achieving this ‘Miracle on the Han River,’ we drew immense strength from the assistance and development cooperation of the international community.

In this regard, I believe the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be an important stepping stone that can lead to a second and third miracle around the world.

The Republic of Korea, holding the current presidency of ECOSOC, which will be playing a key role in the implementation of this development agenda, will actively contribute to achieving the development goals.

Along the way, the Republic of Korea will actively share our development experiences and know-how with the international community.

In the meantime, we have been sharing with developing countries the experiences of the Saemaul Undong (New Community Movement), which served as a springboard for Korea’s leap forward.

I believe that the Saemaul Undong can maximize the utility of development cooperation with developing countries, given that it ignites a sense of confidence and ownership through competition and incentives, and lays the groundwork for self-help in communities with the engagement of the local people.

Two days ago, we co-hosted with the UNDP and the OECD a Special High-Level Side Event on the Saemaul Undong, and agreed to work together to help eradicate poverty and build transformative local communities in developing countries.

We will further expand our efforts so that the Saemaul Undong can develop into a ‘new paradigm for rural development’ in developing countries.

Another important driving force behind Korea’s economic development was the human talent that has been nurtured through unsparing investment.

Education is the key sustainable development agenda that helps empower the individual and achieve national development.

Korea has been actively engaging in the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) as a Champion country. We hosted the World Education Forum with UNESCO last May and led the adoption of the ‘Incheon Declaration’, which sets the global education goals to be achieved by 2030.

Going forward, the Republic of Korea will continue to make such efforts in the area of education.

In particular, Korea will continue to work with UNESCO to spread global citizenship education.

Next, Korea will also play a strong role in strengthening global health security.

In addition to dispatching a disaster response team to Sierra Leone to help fight Ebola late last year, Korea announced that it would contribute 100 million dollars over the next five years to support capacity-building in developing countries at the 2nd meeting of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) held in Seoul three weeks ago.

In addition, the Republic of Korea plans to pursue projects to support developing countries worth 200 million dollars over the next five years under the ‘Better Life for Girls Initiative’.

Fellow delegates,

Even as we achieved rapid industrialization, Korea has also been putting great energy into supporting the co-existence of man and nature.

Our designation of April 5 as Arbor Day and the promotion of forestation led to a 20-fold increase in the number of trees per hectar over the past 50 years. Since 1972, we designated green belt zones to curb development in the suburbs, thereby achieving harmony between the environment and development.

Now, we are channeling our environmental advocacy to joining the international community’s response to climate change.

Dealing with climate change is an urgent task that we can no longer afford to put off. It is critical that the international community produce a concrete, meaningful outcome at the 2015 Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC this December.

I believe that addressing climate change is not a burden, but a fresh opportunity to create future drivers of growth through technological innovation.

Guided by that belief, Korea submitted a forward-leaning Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) last June and is actively seeking to transition towards a low-carbon economy, while actively participating in the climate negotiations.

In addition, as the host country of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Korea will continue to support climate action by developing business models relating to new energy industries and sharing them with developing countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The UN’s recent review of peace operations, peacebuilding as well as women, peace and security in line with a changing security environment, could not have come at a better time.

As a country that experienced a devastating war and remains scarred to this day by partition, the Republic of Korea is acutely aware of the importance of peace and is strongly supporting the efforts of the UN to protect peace.

To date, Korea has dispatched some 13,500 peacekeepers to 18 missions. Korean peacekeepers are being held in high regard for their exemplary and community-friendly peacekeeping and reconstruction activities.

Upon consultations with the UN, Korea plans to make additional deployments to peacekeeping missions in the near future and will strengthen our substantive partnership with the African Union (AU).

To assist Syrian refugees flowing from the instability in the Middle East, Korea will step up its humanitarian assistance to the relevant countries.

Korea is also pouring its efforts into laying the groundwork for peace in Northeast Asia – a region that continues to undergo persistent tensions and discord among countries.

In Northeast Asia, we see a deepening of the Asia paradox phenomenon, where political and security cooperation lags behind the high-degree of economic interdependence among the countries in the region.

Recently, new moves that could potentially have profound consequences for Northeast Asia’s security order are leading to misgivings among countries in the region.

Japan’s recently-passed defense and security legislation should be implemented transparently and in a way that is conducive to friendly relations among regional countries and to peace and stability in the region.

Pointing to Northeast Asia with its continuing tensions and discord, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once described the region as a ‘crucial missing link’ with no regional cooperation mechanism.

The reason I am pushing forward the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI) is to reconnect that missing link and thereby create a virtuous cycle of trust building and increased cooperation.

At the moment, consultations among the countries of the region are underway on a range of collaborative areas, including nuclear security, disaster management and health, and the accumulation of these experiences will also contribute to promoting global peace and cooperation.

Such efforts on our part will also help to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, which poses a serious threat to peace in Northeast Asia and beyond.

Resolving the North Korean nuclear issue should be accorded the highest priority if we are to uphold the integrity of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and live up to the aspirations of humanity for a world without nuclear weapons.

Last July, the Iran nuclear deal was reached. Now the international community should focus its efforts on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue – the last remaining non-proliferation challenge.

In recent weeks, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) once again publicly intimated further acts of provocation that would violate UN Security Council resolutions.

This will not only do harm to the hard-won mood for inter-Korean dialogue, but also undermine the efforts of the members of the six-party talks to reopen denuclearization talks.

The DPRK would do well to choose reform and opening rather than additional provocations and to endeavor to free its people from hardship. Pushing ahead with provocations, including its nuclear development program, will undermine the values of humanity’s peace espoused by the international community and the UN have been espousing.

Should the DPRK boldly give up its nuclear ambitions and choose the path towards openness and cooperation, the Republic of Korea will work with the international community to actively support North Korea in developing its economy and improving the quality of life of its people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

During the last 10 years, the UN has achieved significant progress, not least in terms of protecting human rights and advancing freedom.

The concept of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) was adopted at the 2005 UN World Summit, and legal accountability for those involved in genocide was defined with the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

I believe that we should further strengthen the responsibility to protect in order to prevent the humanitarian crisis our world currently faces from deteriorating further.

Last year, at this very podium, I stressed that sexual violence against women during armed conflicts, whenever or wherever it may have taken place, is unquestionably a violation of human rights and humanism.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, and the international community should do justice to the occasion by paying greater attention to sexual violence against women in conflict situations.

The most compelling reason is the fact that only a few of the victims of brutal sexual violence during World War II are still alive today.

Solutions that can bring healing to their hearts need to be devised quickly, while these victims are still alive. The efforts of the UN High Commissioners of Human Rights and Special Rapporteurs on this issue must not be allowed to come to naught.

There is no path to unlocking the future, if the past is not acknowledged.

We now hope the spirit of enduring partnership towards humanity that the UN embodies will resonate far and wide so that past wounds can be healed and a new future can unfold.

One issue that has attracted great international attention in the realm of human rights realm over the past year is the human rights situation of the DPRK.

The report of the Commission of Inquiry(COI) on human rights in the DPRK, published last year, called for the active response of the international community to address the North Korean human rights issue.

In the wake of the report’s release, not only would the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly adopt relevant resolutions, but no less than the Security Council would take the issue up for discussion.

We once again call on the DPRK to heed the concerns of the international community and start improving the state of human rights.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the UN General Assembly last year, I proposed that a World Eco-Peace Park be built as a space to unfold dreams of peace within the demilitarized zone (DMZ) – the symbol of a divided Korean Peninsula.

However, as the recent land mine provocation in the DMZ brought home, the inescapable reality we face is that peace on the Korean Peninsula can be jeopardized in a single moment.

Fortunately, the two Koreas managed to reach an agreement on August 25 through high-level talks and are now standing at the juncture pointing to a virtuous cycle of trust and cooperation.

The impetus for moving this new virtuous cycle forward will come from the faithful implementation of the August 25 accord and fulfillment of concrete steps for reconciliation and cooperation by both Koreas.

We must no longer use political and military reasons as excuses for turning a blind eye to humanitarian issues, in particular the reunion of the separated families.

I hope we can embark on the path to regaining our common identity as one nation, through the official dialogue and range of exchanges provided for in the August 25 agreement.

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, and fellow delegates,

On October 3, a few days from today, the German people will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their reunification.

Just as the UN blessed the birth of the Republic of Korea in 1948, I dream for the day to come soon when the entire world celebrates a unified Korea.

Ending the seven-decades-long history of a divided Korean Peninsula – the last remaining vestige of the Cold War – will mark nothing less than a contribution to world peace.

Not long ago, the Republic of Korea organized a journey by rail, called the Eurasia Friendship Express, that went through Russia and reached all the way to Europe. Those who took part in the journey came back deeply touched and moved.

However, the train couldn’t run through the DPRK as the rails there were closed off.

I ask all of you here at the UN to lend us your strength so those doors are flung open and the air of peace can suffuse the Korean Peninsula.

A peacefully unified Korea will be a thriving democratic nation free of nuclear weapons and upholding of human rights.

What is more, a unified Korean Peninsula, both as a symbol of peace in our global village and a new engine of growth – will contribute greatly to peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia and beyond.

I hope that the UN and all peace-loving countries will work together so that the ideals of peace and human dignity dreamt of by the UN founders 70 years ago can also be fulfilled through the unification of the Korean Peninsula.

On this grand journey towards a better world, you can rest assured that the Republic of Korea will be a companion that the UN and the international community can count on.

Thank you.

President Obama,

Secretary-General Ban,

Excellencies,

Let me begin by paying tribute to all those serving, as we speak, in UN peace missions around the world. They are helping to make our world more peaceful and more secúre.

Peace operations can indeed make a huge difference. This is something the Republic of Korea knows full well, given our experience from the Korean War. Thus, Korea has been taking active part in a wide range of peace operations led by the UN.

Today’s peacekeeping summit comes on the seventieth anniversary of the UN’s founding. It‘s a valuable occasion for us to renew our commitment to the vision inscribed in the UN Charter : “to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.”

Fellow leaders,

We see today, how international conflicts are growing ever more complex, how violent extremism is spreading far and wide. And yet, the UN’s capacity to conduct peace operations in response remains less than adequate.

As the June report of the High-Level Panel points out, UN peace operations need to be holistic in the strategy they pursue. They must prevent conflicts, avoid relapse, and address root causes.

It goes without saying that the UN’s capacity to plan and deploy peace operations needs to be vastly strengthened.

The Republic of Korea will actively support international efforts to enhance UN peace operations.

First, Korea intends to deploy an additional engineering unit. They will be assísting reconstruction and humanitarian activities in conflict zones.

Korean peacekeepers have long been guided by the belief that genuine peace stems from the minds of people; hence, their distinctive focus on cementing bonds with local communities, whether in Lebanon, Haiti, South Sudan or elsewhere. This is an approach that’s been widely well-received.

Second, Korea will strengthen partnerships with regional organizations that have a better grasp of their neighborhood and can furnish rapid responses.

Specifically, Korea plans to provide, among others, deployable level-two hospital equipment through the African Union to enhance peacekeeping capacity in Africa.

Lastly, Korea will steadily scale up its financial contributions to support the UN’s conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities.

This would be fitting, given Korea’s presidency of ECOSOC and its presence in the Peace Building Commission.

Excellencies,

Conflict and strife may seem endemic to the human condition. But equally unremitting has been our yearning and striving for lasting peace.

We must live up to the vision of “saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” as enshrined in the UN Charter. To do so, we must rally our collective will to make peace operations stronger and pull together more closely.

In 1950, the UN stood united for peace to safeguard the Korean Peninsula. Likewise, Korea will not hesitate to do what it must in the service of UN peace operations.

Thank you.

President Kagame of Rwanda, President Choummaly of Laos, President Sang of Vietnam, President Humala of Peru, Secretary-General Ban, Secretary-General Gurria, Madam Clark, Mr. Mohieldin, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me say how gratifying it is to see this event take place. For in our pursuit of a twenty-first century paradigm for rural development, we are drawing inspiration from Korea’s Saemaul Undong.

My thanks go out to the OECD and UNDP. In partnership with the Korean Government, they’ve been endeavoring to make the Saemaul Undong more applicable around the world.

May this day set a milestone in scaling up our rural development model into a shared resource for all.

Fellow Leaders, ladies and gentlemen,

The Saemaul Undong is a development strategy that has not only helped to lift Korea up, but also transformed our national ethos.

Half a century ago, Korea’s per capita GDP stood below one hundred dollars. We were among the poorest countries in the world.

And yet, fired by a desire for a “better life,” the whole nation rallied together to climb out of poverty. And we did so in the spirit of diligence, self-help and cooperation that animated the Saemaul Undong.

As a result, Korea managed to both industrialize and within five decades. We rose to become one of the top fifteen economies in the world.

We became the first former aid recipient to join the ranks of official donors.

I watched my late father, who was president at the time, push the Saemaul Undong forward.

And as I did so, I was able to learn first hand the recipes for success, and the multipliers that helped change the people and transform the nation.

The first ingredient of success was the incentive scheme and competition.

In the first year of the Saemaul Undong, the government gave out equal amounts of cement to some thirty three thousand villages across the country. They were told, “you’re free to use the cement as you see fit, as long as they’re used for collective projects.”

Some villages would apply their labor, their capital, their land and use the cement for public projects that served local needs. Others would have little to show for it.

The following year, new supplies were , but only to the seventeen hundred or so villages that had put the cement to good use.

Farmers, whose energy had been sapped by longstanding poverty, began to compete and rally together to win more supplies. This would eventually unleash a tidal wave of modernization across rural Korea.

The second formula is trust-based leadership at the national level.

The nation’s leader uprooted corruption from the bureaucracy. People then began to place their trust in the state. With integrity and drive, he kept political populism at bay. He devoted himself to making sure both rural and urban areas prospered in harmony.

The vision and determination of the leader struck a deep chord with the people, enabling the Saemaul Undong to achieve maximum synergy.

The third is the voluntary and proactive engagement of the people. Having seen how the ‘can do’ spirit can lead to new realities, the people themselves stepped up to become the agents of change.

The government put in place systematic programs to nurture Saemaul Undong champions. These people went on to spearhead change, inducing willing participation from their communities.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Korea has been working hard to share proven approaches and know-how with developing countries.

We have been promoting the Saemaul Undong as a practical model for rural development – one that might help developing partners avoid the poverty trap. And these efforts did bring results.

But we are, in my view, at a point where the model needs to be better tailored to the differing contexts of other countries. Indeed, elements of the Saemaul Undong should be modified into principles and actions that are broadly applicable.

The Saemaul Undong’s features and modalities also need to be updated. Doing so would enable the program to better support developing countries, as they deal with complex rural challenges and pursue the shared goal of ending poverty and achieving sustainable development.

This is why I welcome the initiative of the OECD and the UNDP to draw on the Saemaul experience in crafting a New Rural Development Paradigm and an Inclusive and Sustainable New Communities Model.

Even to this day, the Saemaul Undong in Korea is still a work in progress.

In fact, it continues to make strides :

– as a communal movement that values ‘sharing, serving and caring’ and aims to tackle the challenge of rapid urbanization.

– as both a ‘creative’ and ‘cultural campaign’ to strengthen local grass-roots capacity.

– and as a global movement that furthers the cause of happiness in our planet.

By adapting to the distinct needs of countries and to the changing times, the Saemaul Undong can become a strategy for rural development globally, and for progress nationally.

I very much hope to see a development paradigm inspired by the Saemaul Undong, help end poverty in our world and make development sustainable.

To this end, the Republic of Korea stands ready to work with developing countries, and international bodies like the UN, the OECD and the World Bank.

May wide-ranging discussions on pathways for concrete action emerge from today’s gathering.

Thank you.

Fellow leaders, distinguished speakers, I listened to your precious insights very carefully.

I firmly believe that the actual lessons from each country’s unique context will be invaluable, as we develop the Saemaul Undong into a twenty-first century paradigm for rural development.

Today, half the world’s population live in rural areas. More than ninety percent of them are in developing countries. Sixty percent of the rural population in developing countries are suffering from extreme poverty.

Without rural development, the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” is unlikely to succeed.

The Saemaul Undong is a strategy to unleash a nation’s full potential. It is also a blueprint for national harmony; for building a society where no one is excluded by promoting balanced development between urban and rural areas.

I earnestly hope that the Saemaul Undong will pave the way for a second and a third miracle around the world.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s when government-led efforts are combined with voluntary grass-roots participation that the Saemaul Undong can come to fruition.

It’s when each country brings together the yearning and the determination of its people to make miracles happen, that the UN’s aspirations in the 2030 Agenda can be on track to a more meaningful, and fuller implementation.

May the Saemaul Undong take root, in the near future, as a twenty-first century paradigm for rural development – one with more universal appeal. And may the precious seeds we sow today bring a rich harvest tomorrow.

Throughout this promising journey, the Republic of Korea will be there to exchange our experience and know-how. We will be there as a friend to help promote the happiness of all.

Again, my sincere thanks to everyone for being here today.

Director-General Bokova, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

Yesterday, the world community adopted the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” The document includes agreed goals that will guide world education for the next fifteen years.

With that, we have set out on a historic quest to transform our world through education.

Indeed, the reason we are here today is to reaffirm the importance of education in making our world a better place. We are here to tap into our collective wisdom on the role of education.

Since its launch in 2012, the Global Education First Initiative has been striving to raise global awareness about what education can do. And its achievements have been many.

GEFI has highlighted three priorities : “put every child in school,”

“improve the quality of learning,” and “foster global citizenship.”

It went on to galvanize international action in pursuit of these goals.

I applaud the work that’s been done under GEFI. It has been harnessing the power of education to make life happier and put humanity on track towards a more promising future. And you can continue to count on our unwavering support for GEFI.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The World Education Forum was held in Korea’s Incheon last May.

There, the international community laid out a new roadmap for education toward 2030.

Delegates from one hundred sixty seven countries, from international bodies, and experts in the field came together.

They took stock of the progress made and the lessons learned, as we sought to reach the goals of “Education for All” and the “Millennium Development Goals” on education. The agenda and action plans for the next fifteen years were also discussed.

The conference led to a pledge to increase access to education and make learning more equitable and more inclusive. Commitments also were made to improve the quality of education and expand opportunities for lifelong learning.

This consensus would go to play a crucial part in enshrining education-related goals in the SDGs.

Korea will build on the outcome of the forum and do even more to translate the new goals into reality.

First, we will shore up our support to help transform lives through education.

The establishment of vocational, polytechnic and high-tech institutes will be supported, so as to reinforce higher-quality education in developing countries. Scholarship programs that bring talented students to Korea will also be expanded.

In partnership with UNESCO, we will scale up support for projects that transition students in developing countries into advanced ICT-based learning environments.

Second, we will help make sure everyone has fair access to quality education.

To this end, Korea will push forward the “Better Life for Girls” initiative. This aims to tackle gender inequality in learning and help girls in developing countries unlock their full potential. We will send more teachers to countries that need them, and exchange our know-how and experience.

Third, we will take active part in global efforts to foster global citizenship.

By working with UNESCO and the UN Academic Impact, we will endeavor to promote global citizenship education. This should help nurture a sense of community that moves us to act together to take on global challenges.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Korea is a vivid testament to all that education can do : to how much individual lives can be transformed, and how far nations can go.

Throughout the centuries, educating their children was the one thing Korean parents never gave up on, however needy their situation.

The Korean government has been investing more and more in education, however thin the public purse. The government held back nothing, if it served to cultivate human talent.

It was precisely because we were so passionate about education, and because we invested in education, that the Miracle on the Han River took place.

If we are truly serious about leveraging education as a force for changing the world and making life happier, then our commitment must be unswerving, and our efforts unceasing.

Let us take advantage of the “2030 Agenda” to marshal the strength of all stakeholders and to realize the promise of tomorrow through the power of education.

And come what may, let us firmly keep to this commitment and this vision throughout our quest.

Korea has long put education first. We will share the lessons learned and observations made. And we will make every effort to become a trusted international partner.

Thank you.