A South Korea-led multilateral group was launched on Tuesday to enhance cooperation in health care security and COVID-19 responses.
The Friends Group in the United Nations held its inaugural video conference, with some 200 officials, health experts and heads of international organizations in attendance.
In the meeting co-chaired by South Korea, Canada, Denmark, Sierra Leone and Qatar, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed hope that the UN Friends Group will make substantial contributions to the global fight against the pandemic.
Seoul's Foreign Ministry said that the government led efforts to establish the group to promote global discussions and cooperation within the UN on issues of healthcare security and COVID-19 responses.
South Korea unveiled a plan last week to establish the Friends Group in the United Nations, the World Health Organization(WHO) and the U.N. Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), as part of its bid to promote global discussions on battling the pandemic.
The government plans to launch two other cooperation groups with the WHO and UNESCO this month.