International Activities

On 4th July 2023, the Korea Research Institute for Local Administration (KRILA) met with the United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG/DPIDG/UN DESA), the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea (MOIS), and six other esteemed national research institutions (NRIs) for the first time to discuss UN DESA’s annual flagship event, the “7th Regional Symposium on Effective Governance and Digital Transformation for Accelerating Progress towards the 2030 Agenda – Promoting Sustainable, Resilient, and Innovative Solutions” to be held from 17-19th October 2023. The participating institutions included the Korea Federation of Community Credit Cooperatives (KFCC), Korea Island Development Institute (KIDI), Korea Institute of Public Administration (KIPA), Korea Local Information Research and Development Institute (KLID), National Disaster Management Institute (NDMI), and the Saemaul Foundation (in alphabetical order).

The primary aim of this inaugural meeting is to enhance awareness on the roles of national research institutions in fostering concrete and active partnership for the practical implementation of the SDGs at the local level during the Regional Symposium on Effective Governance and Digital Transformation for Accelerating Progress towards the 2030 Agenda. The Regional Symposium is a UN DESA annual flagship event which aims to raise awareness on critical public governance issues, examine current and future SDG-related trends, and provide new approaches and methodologies to support the United Nations Member States in developing their capacities in accelerating their commitments towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Local Governance and Partnerships Forum which aims to provide a platform to discuss local governance issues will be held on 19th October, the last day of the Regional Symposium. The first session will feature a Roundtable Session to which all seven national research institutions will participate to discuss successful Korean cases on local governance for SDG implementation. The second session will feature country and city cases that demonstrate effective, accountable, and inclusive local governance and partnerships.

The participating institutions in the Regional Symposium will be encouraged to leverage their respective expertise to develop policies, share successful Korean cases, and contribute to the international society by effectively addressing the unique and distinctive challenges encountered by national, regional, and local governments. 

Thus, inaugural meeting on 4th July is expected to be the starting point to where successful Korean cases in SDGs will be introduced to countries in small island developing states (SIDS), least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and low- and middle-income countries (MICs) in the Asia-Pacific, East Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond. Such cases look forward to contributing to global society propelling SDGs at the local level.

Furthermore, the meeting anticipates the establishment of a robust and integrated relationship among the participating institutions, central government ministries, and the UN, which is particularly crucial to foster the development of practical and professional eye-level policies amidst discussions on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development rapidly gaining momentum at the national, regional, and local levels. 

This networking and peer-to-peer opportunity will encourage participating institutions to explore collaborative methodologies and enhance their respective roles for effective governance and digital transformation to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda. 

KRILA expressed great enthusiasm for this collaborative network and for UN DESA’s Regional Symposium on Effective Governance and Digital Transformation. KRILA also conveyed its unwavering commitment to work alongside other institutions in spearheading local governance-related efforts and strengthening partnerships for SDG implementation.

Mr. Il-jae Kim, President of KRILA, emphasized the institution’s strong commitment for “policy development and multi-stakeholder engagement to promote regional governance.”