Schedule Change for Free Download of the Logo song of 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit

Free Download of the official Logo song of 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, 'Peace Song' through Olleh Music and Melon was scheduled from 19th Dec(Monday) for 2 weeks, but now the date has changed to 28th Dec(Wednesday) for 2 weeks.

2012 Seoul Nuclear Summit Poster 2

Park Jeong-hyun’s ‘Peace Song’, free download begins on 19th Dec through Olleh Music and Melon

The official Logo song of 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, the ‘Peace Song’ sung by the honorary ambassador Park Jeong-hyun with outstanding singing ability, has already finished recording both in Korean and English version.

The ‘Peace Song’ will be provided by a free download event through Olleh Music and Melon from 19th Dec(Monday) for 2 weeks, celebrating the D-100 of 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. ‘Listen to the beautiful song and participate in the event~’ and Let your friends join as well!

Joint Statement of the Eminent Persons Group for the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit

Joint Statement of the Eminent Persons Group
for the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit

We, members of the Eminent Persons Group established to advise the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-bak, on the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, met in Seoul on 29 November, 2011. We, upon the invitation of President Lee, gathered to discuss ways to ensure the success of the Seoul Summit. In sincere and intense discussions today, we agreed on the following statement and express the hope that it will contribute to next year’s Summit.

1. We recognize and fully support the efforts of many world leaders and intellectuals who have strived to achieve a peaceful and prosperous world free of nuclear weapons, and note that some progress has been made in this regard. However, we at the same time recognize that there is still much to be done to attain this noble cause.

2. We are of the view that nuclear security, aimed at preventing terrorists, criminals, and other irresponsible actors from using nuclear weapons, highly enriched uranium or plutonium for malicious purposes, constitutes an important element in advancing the goal of a nuclear weapon-free, peaceful and prosperous world, together with nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In this regard, we acknowledge that a key strategy to prevent nuclear terrorism is to deny terrorists from gaining access to nuclear weapons, materials, and facilities.

3. We emphasize that in order for the global nuclear security architecture to be robust enough to protect humankind and the planet, it needs to be based on the principle of integrated and balanced independence and interdependence between countries with shared responsibility. We support the objectives of international nuclear security instruments, including the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, as amended, and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, as essential elements of the global nuclear security architecture. We hope that the Participating States of the Seoul Summit will work towards the Conventions’ universal adherence.

4. We welcome the fact that the Washington Nuclear Security Summit, held in April 2010, made nuclear security the focus of attention at the summit level and succeeded in achieving consensus among 50 global leaders on the gravity of the threat of nuclear terrorism and the need for common action. We recognize that President Obama’s four-year lock-down initiative, which aims to “secure all vulnerable nuclear materials in four years,” played a key role in bringing about this consensus, and strongly support this initiative.

5. We are confident that the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit will serve as a catalyst for realizing a world free of nuclear and radiological terrorism by both reaffirming the principles and the spirit of the Washington Summit and reaching agreement on new commitments and measures to enhance nuclear security. In this regard, we strongly support the Seoul Summit.

6. We expect leaders at the Seoul Summit to enhance public confidence in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We also urge them to reduce the threats to nuclear facilities and their operating systems, such as sabotage or cyber attacks, by discussing in a responsible manner the ways in which nuclear security and nuclear safety can be mutually reinforced, bearing in mind the implications and lessons learned from the Fukushima nuclear accident. We have every confidence that the Republic of Korea can play a leading role to this end as the Chair Country of the Seoul Summit.

7. We recognize that there is a critical need to build up national and regional capabilities and resilience to deal with the aftermath of a radiological and nuclear accident, whether as a result of a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, in order to mitigate the consequences. In this regard, we also note the need to explain international standards on radioactivity in ways that are understandable to the public.

8. Noting the risk that radiological materials may be illegally obtained and explosive devices may be assembled, and given the serious consequences that arise from perpetrated acts of radiological terrorism, we believe that there is a need to engage in in-depth discussions on the threat of radiological terrorism, together with that of nuclear terrorism at the Summit, with a view to resolving these threats through mutual cooperation.

9. Recognizing that the success of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit is important to further bolster the global nuclear security regime, we would like to highlight the following for the success of the Summit:
- First, the Seoul Summit should demonstrate tangible progress in implementing the commitments made at the Washington Summit with all participants reporting specifically on activities they have undertaken and propose to undertake;
- Second, the Seoul Summit should further advance the Nuclear Security Summit process to the implementation phase by setting out in the ‘Seoul Communiqué’ a practical vision and new concrete measures;
- Third, each Participating State needs to undertake to make significant contributions to the objective of strengthening nuclear security regime by announcing voluntary, individual commitments at the Seoul Summit. Furthermore, Participating States need to reaffirm the essential role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the nuclear security and safety framework.
- Fourth, the Seoul Summit should take into account the new international security circumstances that have taken shape since the Washington Summit. In particular, in considering the lessons of the Fukushima accident that releases of radioactivity into the environment have grave consequences, the Seoul Summit should recognize that just as insufficient nuclear safety may put nuclear security at risk, insufficient nuclear security may put nuclear safety at risk. In conjunction, it should develop measures for cooperation to reduce the threat of radiological terrorism. The Seoul Summit should also promote the strengthening of international and regional cooperation mechanisms in nuclear safety and security;
- Fifth, the Seoul Summit should emphasize the importance of preventing the illicit transfer of nuclear materials by, inter alia, strengthening international and regional cooperation through the sharing of information and best practices, and capacity building.
- Sixth, the Seoul Summit should build upon the momentum generated by the Washington Nuclear Security Summit and should make efforts to hold a third Summit to provide political impetus at the highest level for the nuclear security regime strengthening process and assess progress made on the Washington Summit’s 4-year lock-down target.

10. We welcome the fact that the Republic of Korea has been steadfast in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy by upholding the principles of nuclear nonproliferation, security and safety. We look forward to the leading role of the Republic of Korea in bridging diverse opinions among Participating States and achieving an effective and successful outcome for the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. The highly successful peaceful nuclear program of the Republic of Korea, operated with full respect for the requirements of safety, security and safeguards provides a solid basis for this leadership. Their contribution will surely serve to a comprehensive approach to nuclear security worldwide and be seen as the Republic of Korea’s unique contribution to a more secure, safe, happy and prosperous world.

Great Achievements of HLF-4

The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4) has come to a close, resulting in the new Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, which is a mixed bag in terms of the results that civil society was advocating for.
The Busan Partnership gives a new impetus for aid untying and the use of country systems- crucial areas for making aid contribute better to building the capacities that are needed to end aid dependency.
Some progress has been made on the core aid effectiveness agenda, with strengthened commitments on democratic ownership, using country systems and aid untying. Furthermore, China and other BRICs hesitantly moved under the new partnership’s umbrella.

European Union commits €53billion aid a year, make it count say NGOs

The world's biggest aid donor, the European Union, should stand up for ambitious proposals to tackle global poverty at the Busan High Level Forum(HLF4) aid summit say NGOs. CONCORD, Europe’s Relief and Development NGO confederation present in Busan, urges European leaders to make its extensive aid programme more effective at the conference. CONCORD insists $4billion could be saved per year by the EU if it implements better aid refroms and in this context, 62% of European citizens are in favour of increasing development aid to at least 0.7% of EU Gross National Income by 2015. Yet despite Europe’s global contribution to aid and its citizens support, NGOs express concern that the EU is going into Busan with weaker ambitions compared to the strong leadership it showed in 2008 at the last summit of its kind in Accra, Ghana.
“The EU has a positive role to play in supporting more effective aid policies. But we are disappointed to see that greater aid transparency is being blocked by certain EU countries.” says CONCORD President Justin Kilcullen. Also he urged that "EU hasn't show commitment of untying aid and improving local procurement of aid.
Along with EU, coutries attending HLF4 should wake up and strengthen the unity and willingness to improve aid effectiveness between countries in order to show advanced results since the previous HLF conference.

Nothing at Busan for African Women, Children

Some 250,000 mothers are estimated to die in Africa every year, leaving behind infants with reduced chances of making it beyond five years of age. Statistics by Save the Children, an international non-government organisation, reveal that African countries claim nine out of ten bottom places in a worldwide maternal health ranking that involves 164 countries. As HLF4 opens up, one of the questions that is being raised is whether African mothers and children can acquire substantial aid from the conference. Ben Philips of Save the Children says, "Unfortunately, the Busan Outcome document, which basically summarises the Forum’s platform for action beyond the conference, isn’t ambitious enough to improve aid effectiveness. For instance, there is no strong commitment to untie aid."
In additon, experts on aid in Busan say that if donors had shown a strong commitment to untie aid as an outcome of the ongoing conference, this would have increased aid by 15 to 30 percent, consequently increasing the value of aid. And this is not the only way in which donors are letting African women and children down. Although the G-8 countries, comprising the world’s richest nations, committed to ensuring that 0.7 percent of their budget goes to aid. None of them has actualised this commitment. "There’s a clear aid deficit that makes it difficult for poor countries to channel money into sector budgets towards improving health services by employing qualified nurses and even having more health facilities in areas where the poor can easily access them," said Dan Badoo, a policy researcher.
Lastly, Philips emphasized, "When we say that this is the HLF 4, it all sounds so technical and elitist, but what the ordinary, poor persons really need is to experience how healthy aid can improve their lives, can give them better quality livelihoods and save dying mothers and infants."