38 Countries Including Korea, US, China, Japan Adopt 'Seoul Declaration'... President Moon Says "Green Action Starts Now"

P4G Summit Concludes with Adoption of Seoul Declaration... "Carbon Neutrality Will Bring Economic Opportunities" Consensus

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The '2021 P4G Seoul Green Future Summit' chaired by President Moon Jae-in concluded on the 31st of last month with the adoption of the 'Seoul Declaration,' which was joined by 38 countries including South Korea, the United States, China, and Japan.

In particular, heads of state, high-ranking officials, and leaders of international organizations agreed that carbon neutrality would bring economic opportunities.

President Moon stated at the meeting, "We must turn carbon neutrality into an opportunity for fostering new industries and creating jobs, gain consensus from the public, and enable companies to voluntarily engage in technology development and investment."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, also emphasized, "Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is not an impossible goal, and it will bring us tremendous economic opportunities." Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), asserted, "(Investment in sustainable future growth) is an excellent opportunity for growth and job creation."

This summit served as a platform to build consensus on inclusive green recovery, carbon neutrality, and public-private cooperation. The Seoul Declaration, supported by 38 participating countries and 9 international organizations, recognized the climate crisis as an urgent international threat affecting not only environmental issues but also economic, social, security, and human rights aspects.

This summit was the first multilateral summit hosted by South Korea since the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as an opportunity to confirm South Korea's elevated status in the international community. However, due to an error by the event organizers, a map of Pyongyang appeared instead of Seoul in the venue introduction video, sparking controversy within and outside the political sphere.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.