□ Korea Eximbank launched a tripartite consultative group comprised of EDCF, JICA* of Japan, and AFD** of France to strengthen cooperation in the ODA*** sector.

ㅇ Formation of the tripartite consultative group was suggested by Korea Eximbank, executor of EDCF on behalf of the Korean government, and was agreed upon by JICA and AFD. The three parties then agreed to hold regular meetings to share knowledge and experience about development cooperation and business cooperation for developing nations.

* Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): International development institution of Japan specializing in technological collaboration, grants, loans, etc. for developing countries.

** Agence Française de Développement (AFD): International development institution of France specializing in technological collaboration, grants, loans, guarantees, investments, etc. for developing countries.

*** Official Development Assistance (ODA): Grant or concessional loan provided by a government or public institution to developing nations(or international organizations) for their economic, social, and welfare development.

□ During the first tripartite meeting held Oct. 27-28, presentations on agendas such as climate change and partnerships with the private sector were provided along with information on the policies of each country and case examples related to the agenda. In-depth discussions on development cooperation were held as well.

ㅇ In particular, policy issues regarding new & renewable energy and waste sectors were intensively discussed in order to effectively support the second stage (2012-2015) of Vietnam’s Climate Change Response Program, in which the three institutions are participating in.

□ Executive Director Seop Shim for EDCF Planning stated, “By establishing the tripartite group, we were able to form a channel for early consultations and will be better able to effectively reflect the views of the Korean government in future collaborations. Through the group, we will not only discuss climate change and private sector partnerships, but also develop policy cooperation with concessional loan providers of advanced countries for G20 development agendas and the Busan High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness.