Official Development Assistance (ODA) plays a pivotal role in the Green New Deal ODA to combat climate change, and in achieving 2050 Carbon Neutral Targets by shaping conditions for the acquisition of Carbon Credits through joint forest projects with the developing countries.
The international community and the major countries have begun taking actions in earnest to reinforce the role of the forest and utilize it to achieve the carbon neutrality (Planting 1 trillion trees, suggested in Davos Forum 2020).
Current Status
The budget and target areas for the ODA project have been expanded, and more joint projects with the international organizations have been conducted as international forest cooperation strengthened.
In the last decade (2014-2023), the budget and the number of projects were increased by 85% and 150% respectively.
* Budget: 10.6(2014)→14(2017)→16.8(2021)→18.8(2022)→19.6(2023) Billion KRW
* Project Number: 10(2014)→14(2017)→16(2020)→19(2021)→22(2022)→26(2023) projects
Summary of ODA Projects
| Country | Target Area | Quantity | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mongolia | Lun, Dalanzadgad, Bayanzag, Ulaanbaatar | 3,046ha | 07-26 | Plantation to Combat Desertification, Urban Forest, Organizing Infrastructure for Reforestation |
| Viet Nam | Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh | 330ha | 20-26 | Rehabilitation and Sustainable Management of Mangrove Forest, Creation and Management of Nurseries |
| Tajikistan | Khuroson, Dangara, Shahrituz, Sughd, Rudaki, Dushanbe | 905ha | 19-27 | Saxaul Plantation and Income Generation for the local community (Pistachio Demonstration Plantation), Afforestation and Agroforestry to Combat Desertification |
| China | Dalad Qi | 5.1M trees | 07-21 | Plantation to Combat Desertification |
| Indonesia | Jakarta, Bogor, Jambi | 2 cases | 09-22 | Operation of Sentul Eco Edu Tourism Forest, Nurseries, and Korea-Indonesia Forest Center, Restoration of Burnt Peat-land, etc. |
| Cambodia | Siem Reap | 1 unit | 21-24 | Organizing Recreational Forest |
| Kazakhstan | Astana, Kyzylorda | 1 unit 13,300ha |
15-19 | Organizing Korea Forest, Saxaul Plantation |
※ multi-bilateral/multilateral organizations: AFoCO, UNCCD, UNEP (CBD), UNDP (CAFI) FAO, ITTO, IUCN, etc.
Achievements
Forest ODA Project has been selected as one of the key agenda for follow-up task of the summit diplomacy in light of the diversification of the joint forest projects and the requests of the developing countries.
- (Project Diversification) The objectives of the project diversified from simply combating desertification and conducting afforestation to generating incomes of the local community, conducting R&D and convergence project with other sectors, etc.
- (Summit Diplomacy Follow-up Tasks)The joint forest projects are implemented to support the government’s diplomacy as a global pivotal country.
- (Enhancing the Reputation of Korea Forest Service)Through ODA projects, the KFS strengthened the cooperation with international organizations such as UNCCD, FAO, etc.
* Launched Peace Forest Initiative (PFI/ Sept, 2019) and Assuring the Future of Forests with Integrated Risk Management (AFFIRM/ May, 2022), and Established Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Initiative Partnership (Mar, 2022)
Future Plans
We aim to:
- Develop sustainable income generating model. - Launch more convergence ODA projects with other sectors and develop various partnerships.
- Create cooperative relationship with potential partner countries through ODA projects.
- Coordinate with associated institutions to implement regional/convergence ODA, and discover more partnership projects.