Global Saemaul Development
Global Saemaul Development is based on the civil spirits of diligence, self-help, and voluntary participation.
Background
The international community is reflecting more upon existing aid practices because of the potential for recipient nations to become dependant upon donor support.
Despite more than $2.5 trillion dollars being spent on international aid following World War II, Korea remains the only nation to have successfully overcome poverty. With one-sided assistance, which undermines self-reliance, and a poverty trap that leads residents of developing nations to depend upon aid, the international community has expressed increasing interest in Korea’s Saemaul Undong. Korea’s experience with rapid economic growth and the success of Saemaul Undong have led the international community to reconsider Saemaul Undong as a new model for international development cooperation to overcome poverty. In this regard many key international organizations, such as the United Nations, World Bank, OECD, and ADB, are looking into Saemaul Undong. Parts of Asia, Africa, and the Americas have incrementally expressed an interest in learning more about Saemaul Undong.
Definition
What is international development?
It is an extensive range of collaborative social and economic activities the international community undertakes with under-developed nations in order to create a more prosperous and safer world. These collaborations range from major organizations such as the UN and World Bank to corporations, civic groups, academia and even individuals.
What is Saemaul Undong?
Originally Saemaul Undong was a national movement based on the values of diligence, self-help, and cooperation that lead rural residents, community leaders, and government officials to work together to improve the living environment, increase income, and reform national consciousness. It started in Korea’s countryside in 1970 and quickly advanced to cities, schools, and industrial sites, and it established the “can-do spirit”.
What is Global Saemaul Development?
he international community has acknowledged that traditional development formats focused on building physical infrastructure are limited in inducing voluntary participation, resulting in the unsustainability and ineffectiveness of projects. In this regard, the international community has continued to express an increasing interest in the Saemaul Development model that is founded on voluntary civic participation and value reforms. Global Saemaul Development therefore aims to help establish the sense of sovereignty and voluntary participation in international development efforts by applying the strategies of Saemaul Undong which includes values of diligence, self-help, and cooperation.
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International Development
- Involves efforts of transferring resources to overcome poverty in developing nations
- Involves various aid projects including establishing infrastructure; schools, hospitals, roads, etc.
Encounters problems with aid dependancy, and unsustainability
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Saemaul Undong
- Is based on values of diligence, self-help, and cooperation
- Involves improvements on living environment, income growth, and value reform through residents’ voluntary participation
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Global Saemaul Development
- Ensures aid project sustainability
- Solves aid dependency
- Increases aid effectiveness
- Provides international aid market with experts
- Provides overseas corporations with regional experts