Special Report Vol. 66 (2022)

International Development Cooperation after COVID-19: Impacts, Challenges, and Ways Forward in the Urban Sector

Chapter I. Background and Purpose of the Study

Chapter II. Trends and Characteristics of the International Community’s COVID-19 Response Policy

1. Global Crisis and Non-Global Response

2. Deepening polarization and inequality in the international community

3. Strategies of major international organizations for responding to COVID-19

4. Response strategies of major developed donor countries

Chapter III. International Development Cooperation Sector’s COVID-19 Response Policy in Korea

Chapter IV. Changes in Conditions at the Sites of Development Cooperation Projects

Chapter V. Case Analysis Results and Tasks for Development Cooperation Projects in the Urban Sector

Chapter VI. Tasks for International Development Cooperation in the Urban Sector for Sustainable Development

Summary

This study analyzes changes in internal and externalconditions that have impacted developmentcooperation sites in the urban sector in Korea for approximately a year and a half since March 2020,when the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began. Based on the results of the analysis, the study suggests tasks to be performed in the development cooperation sector, as well as the direction it shouldtake for sustainable development. In response to pandemic-led environmental changes, including decreased financial resources, increased demand for development cooperation to strengthen urban resilience, and the transition to a contact-free mode of cooperation, the following policy tasks are proposed to promote sustainable and effective urban sector development cooperation policies. Firstly, the international community’s agenda for cities’ digitization and green restoration must be prominent, and the expansion of entry into relevant sectors must be promoted. Second, it is necessary to identify and plan strategic projects that can prevent inefficient overlapping support and increase the effectiveness of cooperation while considering recipient countries’

needs and conditions. In particular, it is necessary to establish local partnerships and strengthen local response capabilities by instituting a close cooperation system with international organizations and local governments. Finally, the public sector will need to make efforts to strengthen the urban development sector’s development cooperation capacity by securing various financial resources for development and supporting public–private partnership.