ORGANIZED BY THE NATIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE OF KOREA
Local Development and Poverty Eradication for Global Citizenship
Sharing the Saemaul Undong (SMU) Experience from Korea and other developing countries as a case study in eradicating poverty and nation building in support of the Sustainable Development Goals
Korea has a unique experience of rising from the tribulations of colonization and war to build a democratic nation with a thriving economy, and a deep respect for human rights. The Saemaul movement originated from the Canaan Farmers School as an agriculture pioneer movement and the Korean government adopted it as a national poverty eradication campaign focusing on education for citizenship.
The SMU movement emphasized:
1) poverty eradication; 2) improvement of health services and child care; 3) empowerment of local communities; 4)revitalization of community leadership and intergenerational leadership; 5) women’s participation in the community; 6) microfinancing for villages.
KyungSangBukDo is the province hosting this year’s conference and is known as the place where the Saemaul movement originated.
The session will share how this civic movement contributed to economic development and improved human rights and brought awareness for environmental sustainability in the Korean context and how it could be applied around the world today.