Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul attended the second Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the sidelines of the 79th high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly, held on Wednesday, September 25, in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The Foreign Ministers from nearly 80 countries, including 21 Members, invited countries*, and other UN Member States, as well as representatives of international organizations, focused on ways in which key global governance institutions, including the United Nations (UN), the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and the World Trade Organization (WTO), can work together to effectively respond to recent global challenges.

* 11 Invited countries: Spain, Angola, Egypt, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay

Foreign Minister Cho emphasized the need to reform the international order to respond to current global challenges, specifically calling for the need to revitalize the UN Security Council (UNSC) and enhance the UN's capacity, to strengthen efforts to reshape the international system to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to discuss the establishment of global governance that can address emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence (AI).

First, Foreign Minister Cho emphasized that the revitalization of the UN Security Council should be a top priority. In particular, he assessed that the UN Security Council is not fully performing its functions, pointing out the lack of response to the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the failure to extend the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts on sanctions against North Korea. He noted that it is urgent to take the UN Security Council back to normalcy to ensure international peace and stability.

While recognizing the need to reform the Security Council, Foreign Minister Cho argued that reforms should focus on expanding non-permanent seats under equitable geographical distribution to make the Security Council more democratic, transparent, and representative. He also raised the need to strengthen the role of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), given the growing importance of conflict prevention.

Second, Foreign Minister Cho pointed out the need to increase efforts to improve the international system to promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He stressed the need to reform key institutions as part of those efforts, including the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), while ensuring their relevance, and to increase engagement with the Global South.

In particular, Foreign Minister Cho emphasized that the Korean government will continue to contribute constructively to finalizing the G20 MDB Roadmap for reforming MDBs, which is underway in the G20 Finance Track, by the end of this year. He also outlined the Korean government's efforts to increase engagement with Africa, including by hosting the first-ever Korea-Africa Summit in 2024, and expressed support for efforts to increase Africa's representation in discussions on global governance reform.

Finally, Foreign Minister Cho called for the G20's role in shaping global governance that can fully realize the potential of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

Recalling that the Korean government laid out the three principles of global governance for commercial AI - stability, innovation, and inclusion - at the AI Seoul Summit held in May this year, Foreign Minister Cho stated that the second Summit on Responsible AI in the Military Domain, held in September this year, laid the foundation for discussions on AI norms in the military domain. He emphasized that building on this, the Korean government looks forward to continuing to engage in relevant discussions within and beyond the G20.

This G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting served as an opportunity to listen to diverse voices from inside and outside of the G20 on global governance reform, which is one of the three priorities of the Brazilian Presidency of the G20 this year, and to reaffirm the need to reform major global governance institutions, including the United Nations (UN), the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In addition, adoption of the outcome document “Call to Action on Global Governance Reform” provided a good opportunity to continue the momentum of G20 cooperation on this agenda until the upcoming G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. In this document, participants laid out the direction of global governance reform centered on three pillars - the United Nations, the International Financial Institutions, and the multilateral trading system.

Through the participation in this meeting, the Korean government presented its vision for the way forward for global governance. Additionally, the Korean government will continue its constructive role and contribution in ensuring that global governance reform is carried out based on universal values, such as freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, amid changes in the international order.