"Green New Deal, Overcoming COVID-19 in the Asia-Pacific"… 'Seoul Initiative Policy Forum' Held

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), will hold the 15th Seoul Initiative Policy Forum on the 18th.

This forum, themed "Green New Deal: Opportunities for Green Recovery from COVID-19," will be held as an online video conference. About 100 domestic and international experts, including director-level officials from over 20 Asia-Pacific countries, UN representatives, and Korea Environment Corporation officials, will participate. The meeting will be broadcast online (www.unescap.org/event/SINGG).

The Seoul Initiative is a multilateral environmental cooperation project proposed and promoted by South Korea at the 5th Asia-Pacific Environmental Ministers Meeting held in Seoul in 2005 to promote green growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

Among its activities, the policy forum is a flagship project of the Seoul Initiative, where Asia-Pacific officials and experts annually review the implementation status of each country regarding sustainable development goals, climate change response, and other environmental issues, and suggest future directions.

This year's forum will discuss sustainable recovery and ways to enhance climate resilience in the Asia-Pacific region vulnerable to COVID-19, and introduce the voices of future generations urging climate change efforts.

South Korea plans to share its experience with the Green New Deal policy aimed at carbon neutrality by 2050 and explain its intention to continue promoting the Seoul Initiative projects for green recovery in the Asia-Pacific region.

Hwang Seok-tae, Director of the Living Environment Policy Office at the Ministry of Environment, said, "The Green New Deal is our collective promise to create a sustainable future from COVID-19 and the climate crisis," adding, "We will support international efforts so that South Korea's Green New Deal can contribute to the green recovery of neighboring countries."

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