Bangkok, 20 May 2015 - The Republic of Korea scales-up its support for a green economic transition, as the country signed today an additional contribution to the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) at the First Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific(19-20 May, 2015), organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The two-day Forum brought together Ministers from 35 countries across Asia Pacific to find solutions to pressing sustainable development, health and environment challenges facing the region.
Emphasizing the potential of PAGE to provide sustained and sustainable growth in the region, H.E. Mr. Jeong Yeon-Man, Vice-Minister at the Ministry of environment of Republic of Korea, and Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), signed an agreement for additional Korean support to PAGE.
“The Republic of Korea will continue its support to the international community around green economy and green growth, and will continue to work with UNEP through various collaborations, such as PAGE” said H.E. Mr. Jeong Yeon-Man.
The Republic of Korea was one of the initiators of the Partnership in 2012, and has shown great interest in supporting a global green economy transition. With a National Strategy for Green Growth in place already since 2009 the country is a pioneer in this transition. In line with this strategy, the country has made substantial efforts to promote new green growth engines domestically. With its support to PAGE and other green economy initiatives, the Korean Government is demonstrating an active interest in also supporting other countries who are pursuing a similar path.
PAGE provides technical assistance, advisory services, capacity building and knowledge products to countries interested in building green and inclusive economies. PAGE is currently active in seven countries, and has seen considerable country advances in its first two years of operations. As an interagency programme, the partnership also holds an important potential to provide a vehicle for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Partnership gathers the expertise of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and is the UN response to the Rio+20 outcome document’s call for supporting to countries embarking on green economic pathways.
