By Bae Ji-sook
Staff reporter
South Korea's unprecedented development in the economic and social fields underlines the importance of educating children, especially girls, said Hilde Johnson, deputy executive director of the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"If you teach your daughter, you practically educate the whole family. Higher educated women tend to marry late and have fewer children. They are very aware of hygiene and health issues that surround their family and know exactly what they should do," she said in an interview with The Korea Times.
"These women send their children to schools and teach them at home about social responsibilities and rights, which leads them to fight poverty and other obstacles. Education is the most effective, and in fact, the only way to get rid of poverty," Johnson said. "I can see that has happened in Korea in overcoming its poverty and joining the so-called well-off nations."
Johnson said Korea was a perfect example of the combination of international aid and a national eagerness to battle poverty ― South Korea, which marked a per capita GNP of $60 in the 1950s, has become a donor and gave $24 million in Official Development Assistance (ODA) last year. Prime Minister Chung Un-chan promised Monday that Seoul would treble the amount of ODA to "pay back what we have received and set an example to other countries."
"Korea is a unique country successfully shifting its status from aid recipient to donor in less than 50 years and becoming a member of the OECD. Korea is definitely the most successful alumni of the program," she said.
Johnson, on the other hand, sighed about children of North Korea who are seriously affected by poverty.
"One of every three children there is malnourished and suffers from underdevelopment. UNICEF has programs to immunize and vaccinate the children as well as feed them," she said through the UNICEF Korea committee.
The South Korean committee designates $1 million a year from 120,000 donors for the project. However, Johnson said the organization's efforts from time to time face hardship since its strong advocacy for child rights isn't well perceived in the communist state.
"I tell you clearly. Regardless of culture or social infrastructure, environment and others, children should be provided with education, good nutrition and freedom to choose what they are doing. That's something we won't compromise on," she said.
Johnson visited here to attend the Annual Meeting of the National Committee of UNICEF participated in by representatives from 36 advanced countries. The meeting was held from Sunday through Tuesday.
At the meeting, she stressed the roles of advanced countries in tackling global poverty.
"Some skeptics say ODA and other aid aren't really the solution to the humanitarian issue. But since our hard drive program kicked off in the 1990s, we have come to save 10,000 lives a day from deaths stemming from malnutrition, poor hygiene and lack of medical treatment," she said.
"Still, 25,000 children die a day from these causes. It's time we put a strong drive against it. Korea, which has a history and understanding in the field, would definitely agree to our goals."