Gyeonggi Province and UNICEF Agree on 'Peace Festival Cooperation'

Gyeonggi Province Governor Son Hak-kyu, visiting the United States to attract advanced businesses, visited the UNICEF headquarters located in the UN Plaza in New York on the afternoon of June 20th (local time) and signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Mutual Cooperation for the World Peace Festival' with Lima Sala, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF.

▲ Governor Son Hak-kyu visited UNICEF in New York at 9:30 AM local time on June 20th (10:30 PM Korean time) on June 20th and discussed mutual cooperation plans regarding the World Peace Festival with Lima Sala, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, and exchanged the MOU between Gyeonggi Province and UNICEF regarding the 2005 World Peace Festival. /Photo provided by Gyeonggi Province

Governor Son announced at the venue that he will donate a portion of the proceeds collected through the 'Candle of Life Pavilion,' a program of the World Peace Festival to be held at Imjingak in Paju from August 1st to September 11th, where the general public can participate and make donations, to UNICEF.

The 'Candle of Life Pavilion' is a facility installed to allow 3,000 candles to burn on approximately 50-meter altar, enabling members of the general public who purchase these candles through online and offline channels to light candles in their own names during the festival period.

Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation, preparing the World Peace Festival, estimate that the proceeds from the Candle of Life (excluding costs) during the festival period will reach $420,000, and expect to be able to donate a total of $310,000 to UNICEF after excluding 25% to be donated to the Korean UNICEF.

Governor Son said at the signing ceremony, "The 'Candle of Life Pavilion' embodies wishes for world peace and demonstrates our commitment to supporting children in difficult situations around the world," and requested that UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman attend the candle-lighting ceremony.

In response, Lima Sala, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, said, "We pay respect to Korea, which was once a recipient of UNICEF support programs, for developing into a contributing country," and added, "We anticipate that the Candle of Life Pavilion will be a good opportunity to bring peace to Korea and the world."

According to this agreement, Gyeonggi Province and UNICEF will jointly promote the Peace Festival through UNICEF newsletters and websites, and make joint efforts such as UNICEF goodwill ambassadors visiting Gyeonggi Province. <Yonhapnews>