As the world continues to aspire for development, all eyes are on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through globalization and other key efforts that address the different problems of societies . As such, we put all efforts into finding solutions to the longstanding and emerging challenges that hamper people from different walks of life from living a better life. As an institution pushing for an education based on experiences of systematic research on global development and consultation, KDI School, through the International Cooperation Division, held its Second Global Governance and Diplomacy Workshop on November 23, 2023 at the Yeong Bin Gwan (The Shilla Hotel), in Seoul.

KDIS Dean Jong-Il You welcomes guests, speakers and participants from the diplomatic corps, academia , government, and private sector before the start of the workshop.

Building on the success of the inaugural workshop last year, the expansion of the school’s initiatives to share Korea’s experiences with the world and its continuing efforts to produce experts on development economics, the workshop was designed to focus on sharing and discussing other countries' policy implementation and best practices in addressing global issues. 

With representatives from the diplomatic corps from Australia, India, Argentina, Peru, Turkiye and the European Union as speakers, the workshop focused on addressing global issues and sharing each country’s relevant policy implementation strategies and experiences. Different from the usual academic conferences, the event provided the participants with opportunities to hear from a group of policy experts from around the world and key figures from embassies in Korea speak about their field experiences and the challenges that they face in addressing various development issues related to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

His Excellency, Amit Kumar, Ambassador, Embassy of India is joined by former Ambassador to the UN Hyun Cho, Her Excellency, Catherine Raper, Ambassador, Embassy of Australia and His Excellency Gabriel Waiselfisz, Ambassador, Embassy of Argentina during the discussion session in the first session of the workshop.

The event commenced with KDI School’s Dean Jong-Il You’ s opening message, which highlighted how we all live in a world where profound transitions are  taking place. Specifically, the transitions from a fossil fuel-based industrial civilization to a clean energy-based digital civilization and a unipolar world with a liberal international order to a multi-polar world with a new mechanism of global cooperation with multilateralism . According to him, this “comes with a lot of risks and pains”. Such difficulties might be addressed by creating more opportunities by allowing the experts, including diplomats, to be at the forefront of these globalization efforts.

The event was divided into two sessions, the first one focused on climate change, economic security and women-led development with the experiences of India, Australia and Argentina, respectively, followed by discussions focused on each country’s challenges and initiatives in tackling such issues. The second session highlighted the upcoming Peruvian APEC 2024 presidency, the EU’s technological transformation, and Turkiye’s EU accession process and economic integration reiterating how international relations play a part in achieving economic development among countries. The day ended with a question-and-answer session and a rich exchange of experiences and insights related to the discussed topics among the participants and the resource persons.

KDIS Dean Jong-Il You poses for the camera with the student participants from different countries and work backgrounds at the end of the workshop.

For the participating students, this initiative was a rare and an insightful opportunity to hear first-hand from a group of experts with vivid experience and insight into their own countries' policy experience in view of international cooperation. For Lovely Garcia, MDP Student from the Philippines, the discussion “serves as an eye-opener and an inspiration to join the “movement” in changing the narrative to achieve globalization through policy, capacity building initiatives and partnerships”. For Kaushal Kumar, MIPD Student from India, the workshop was an inspiring event which is “a testament to KDIS’ profound efforts to mold and help form a global culture of socially aware and service-oriented public servants who can bring change to the world by helping achieve the SDGs in their own strategic and impactful ways”.

In the end, the event reiterated that achieving the SDGs and navigating globalization require a concerted effort from all stakeholders. By integrating sustainable practices into policies, fostering innovation, and promoting inclusivity, the leaders can contribute significantly to building a more equitable, resilient, and interconnected world. The collaboration between experienced policy makers and the energy and creativity of young public servants forms a powerful alliance to drive positive change and ensure a sustainable future for all.