President Moon: "Expand ODA Scale for Developing Countries' Forest Restoration"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in stated that "the crisis of forests is soon the crisis of humanity" and announced plans to expand the scale of official development assistance (ODA) to support forest restoration in developing countries.

At the opening ceremony of the 15th World Forestry Congress held in Seoul on the 2nd, President Moon delivered a keynote speech, saying, "We will actively participate in the international community's efforts to protect and nurture forests."

President Moon expressed concern, saying, "As forests, which are living greenhouse gas absorbers and water preservers, decrease, the climate crisis accelerates, natural disasters increase rapidly, and contact between wildlife and humans rises, increasing the risk of new infectious diseases like COVID-19. The livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people who depend on forests are also being shaken."

He continued, "Protecting and nurturing dense forests is a duty given to all of us as members of the Earth's life community," emphasizing, "It is about creating a sustainable future for the next generation." In particular, he stressed the need for developed and developing countries to understand their different circumstances and cooperate more actively while sharing the burden.

President Moon said, "Korea plans to more than double the scale of ODA by 2030 and will expand ODA in the forestry sector accordingly," adding, "We will also faithfully fulfill the $60 million contribution pledged last year in the ‘Global Forest Finance Pledge.’"

He further stated that beyond simple financial support, Korea will help developing countries utilize sustainable forest resources and develop various cooperation project models such as ecotourism, recreational forests, and agroforestry. He emphasized that Korea will also do its best to expand forests domestically by planting trees on idle land, nurturing urban forests, and supporting the expansion of forest ecosystem management.

President Moon said, "Just as trees come together to form green forests, if hearts that cherish forests and nature unite as one, we can create a sustainable green future," and added, "Let us combine our hearts and wisdom to increase the pace of action toward a new era where humans coexist with nature."

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