Dobong-gu's Excellent COVID-19 Response Case Featured in UN University Webinar Report

Published 10 Sep.2020 06:24(KST)

Webinar Report Featuring Participation from UNU and 34 Cities in 16 Asia-Pacific Countries... Local Government-Led Dobong RCE Included in COVID-19 Best Practices Webinar Report

UN University Webinar Report Cover (September 8, 2020)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On May 14th, Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) presented an exemplary case at the webinar titled ‘Sustainable Development Education Actions in the COVID-19 Era: Experiences of Asia-Pacific RCEs,’ which was attended by Asia-Pacific RCE cities to overcome the globally spreading COVID-19 pandemic. This case was published as a UNU webinar report on the 7th.

RCE (Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development) is a certification granted by the United Nations University to outstanding local governments, schools, and institutions excelling in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), enabling them to serve as regional hubs for sustainable development education.

Dobong-gu received certification from the United Nations University in January this year and, as of 2020, is part of a network comprising 174 RCE cities across 62 countries worldwide.

This report was jointly hosted by the United Nations University, RCE Srinagar (Srinagar, India), and RCE Greater Western Sydney (Greater Western Sydney, Australia) over three sessions (May 14, June 9, and June 11).

It is a report summarizing best practices in COVID-19 responses from 34 cities across 16 Asia-Pacific countries, as well as RCE cities in Europe, the Americas, and Africa.

The key COVID-19 response cases presented by Dobong-gu include ▲holding emergency COVID-19 countermeasure meetings and expanding the Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters ▲operating a 24-hour COVID-19 response situation room and screening clinics ▲opening the nation’s first ‘online worship room’ ▲the first attempt at public-private video conferencing through the cooperative governance Dobong-gu Council ▲emergency financial support ▲strengthening disinfection of multi-use facilities and providing quarantine supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers ▲disinfection of academies and private educational institutes ▲conducting social distancing campaigns and campaigns to narrow emotional distances ▲closing multi-use public facilities ▲sharing ‘Good Masks’ ▲operating emergency care services to fill care gaps ▲running ‘Click! e After School’ for after-school instructors and community teachers ▲and hosting online hope concerts.

Mayor Lee Dong-jin of Dobong-gu stated, “At a time when the world is transitioning to an untact (contactless) era due to COVID-19, Dobong-gu, the first autonomous district in Seoul to receive RCE certification, will continue to participate in international webinars to maintain close networks and share information with RCE cities. Through this report, we will do our best to help the world overcome COVID-19 and serve as a hub for sustainable development education in Seoul and the metropolitan area.”