Korea to Introduce Green Growth Policies to MCED-6

The ministerial conference will assess the outcomes of the Seoul Initiative and discuss ways of promoting green growth in the Asia-Pacific Region

Korean Minister of Environment Lee Maanee will participate in the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific (MCED-6) in Astana, Kazakhstan, from Sept. 27 to Oct. 2, 2010.
During the conference, Minister Lee will introduce Korea’s government-initiated green growth policies, assess the outcomes of projects that have been implemented for the past five years since the MCED-5 adopted the Seoul Initiative, and discuss ways of cooperation with his counterparts from the Asia-Pacific countries, said Kim Yong-jin, director of the International Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Environment.
The MCED has been held every five years since 1985 as one of the major environment projects being organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP). This gathering of ministers of environment and development has been an agenda-setting forum to assess the state of sustainable development, identify regional perspectives and priorities and decide on concerted actions in response to imperatives posed by global and regional environmental challenges.
The 5th Ministerial Conference (MCED-5), held in Seoul on March 24-29, 2005, adopted the Seoul Initiative for Green Growth, serving as an opportunity to spread Korea’s green growth policies to countries in the Asia and Pacific region, Kim said.
The participating environment ministers of the upcoming ministerial conference will discuss ways of promoting cooperation on green growth in the Asia-Pacific region after evaluating the results of the Seoul Initiative of the MCED-5, pursued by the Korean Environment Ministry.
The Korea Environment Corp. (KECO) will sponsor the Green Growth Forum, which will coincide with the MCED-6, serving as an opportunity to introduce Korea’s green growth policies, the pilot programs of the Seoul Initiative and the current status of the Korean environment industry to the participants.
In particular, Minister Lee will hold a roundtable meeting on Oct. 1 with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kiribati President Anote Tong and French Environment Minister Jean Louis to present policies on the establishment of a bridge toward low-carbon, green growth in the region.
Lee also will present the outcomes of Korea’s plan to develop green technology and clean energy sources for the past two years since the Korean government selected the low-carbon, green growth paradigm as a new national vision in August 2008. He is expected to discuss ways of linking the Seoul Initiative and the “Astana Green Bridge Initiative” proposed by Kazakhstan.
During this conference, international organizations, including UNESCAP, along with countries in the region are expected to show keen interest in such Korean green growth policies as green industry technology and clean energy development and to express the hope the experiences Korea has accumulated from these will be exchanged, Director Kim said.
In the meantime, Minister Lee will hold talks with Kazakh Environment Minister Nurgali Ashimov and discuss issues of mutual concern, including exchanges on green growth between the environment industries of the two countries and Kazakhstan’s supply of natural gas. The two ministers are to sign an MOU on promoting cooperation in the environment sector. Given the insignificant mutual exchanges in the environment area, Minister Lee’s latest visit is expected to not only accelerate mutual cooperation through brisk exchanges of environment technology and expertise, but also to help Korea, which is getting a jump-start in the environment technology industry and building a foothold into Kazakhstan, a natural resources-rich country, Kim said. nw

Minister of Environment Lee Maanee

Kim Yong-jin, director of the International Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Environment