Minister Yoon Hojung to Attend UN Social and Solidarity Economy Meeting... Signs MOUs with Spain, Senegal

Visit to New York for Discussions on Revitalizing the Social and Solidarity Economy
Expanded Exchange and Cooperation Expected with Europe and Africa

Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, will visit New York, USA from the 24th to the 26th to attend the "High-Level Meeting on Social and Solidarity Economy" held during the United Nations General Assembly. He is also scheduled to sign memorandums of understanding (MOUs) for cooperation in the field of social and solidarity economy with Spain and Senegal.

The Ministry explained that this visit aims to share South Korea’s achievements in social and solidarity economy policy with the international community and to strengthen the foundation for global cooperation.

Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, is speaking at the policy forum for the 'Spread and Institutionalization of Social Values' to respond to the era of complex crises held at the Seoul Government Complex Annex in Jongno-gu, Seoul on September 22, 2026. Photo by Yojongjun

This meeting, held during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly, will bring together representatives from a total of 14 countries, including member states of the Group of Friends of Social and Solidarity Economy. The Group was established in June as a voluntary consultative body among UN member states to promote discussions about social and solidarity economy, with Brazil and Senegal serving as co-chairs. At present, 23 countries participate in the organization.

The meeting will review the progress in implementing UN General Assembly Resolution 79/213 (Resolution on Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development) and facilitate discussions toward the adoption of the Third Resolution on Social and Solidarity Economy next year.

As one of the founding members of the Group of Friends, Korea plans to present recent institutional achievements, including the enactment of the Basic Act on Social and Solidarity Economy and the establishment of a comprehensive plan, as well as to propose ways to strengthen international cooperation.

After attending the meeting, Minister Yoon will hold a bilateral meeting with Yolanda Diaz Perez, Spain’s Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Economy, to sign an MOU regarding cooperation in the field of social and solidarity economy.

This agreement covers a total of eight areas of cooperation: improvement of laws and institutions, policy development and joint research, measurement of social value and indicator development, social solidarity finance, among others. By establishing a cooperation framework with Spain following a similar agreement with Italy in June, Korea is expected to further expand policy exchanges with European countries.

Spain was the first country in Europe to enact a Social Economy Act in 2011 and has a solid institutional infrastructure, raising expectations for strong synergy in cooperation with Korea.

Minister Yoon will also sign an MOU with Alioune Dion, Minister for Microfinance and Social and Solidarity Economy of Senegal. Senegal has been leading social and solidarity economy policies in Africa, enacting the Basic Act on Social and Solidarity Economy in 2021 and establishing a dedicated government department. Both countries will share their experiences in managing laws and institutions and seek practical cooperation models linking Asia and Africa.

Meanwhile, Minister Yoon will meet with Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations (UN DESA), to discuss ways to expand the scope of ongoing cooperation in public administration and digital government into the field of social and solidarity economy. Since the establishment of the UN Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) in 2006, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and UN DESA have continued to cooperate in building capacity and sharing policies with developing countries. In this meeting, the key agenda will include social and solidarity economy policy exchange and exploring avenues for cooperation with UN member states.

On the morning of the 25th, Minister Yoon will meet with Abraham Kim, President of the Korea Society, to discuss ways to revitalize exchanges between Korean and U.S. local governments. Expanding exchanges among organizations in the private sector—such as social and solidarity economy organizations, nonprofit civil organizations, and volunteer groups—as well as strengthening local cooperation based on resident participation, will also be major topics of discussion.

Minister Yoon stated, "This visit will serve as an opportunity to share Korea's institutional achievements in the social and solidarity economy with the international community and to further activate international exchange," and added, "We will do our best to ensure that the Republic of Korea can play a leading role in the global discourse on the social and solidarity economy by working closely with member states of the Group of Friends."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.