The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published the Overview of the Republic of Korea's National Strategy for Green Growth and the Executive Director Achim Steiner delivered it to the Minister of Environment Maanee Lee on April 22, 2010.
Following the Global Green New Deal Policy Brief (GGND), which was released in March 2009, UNEP had prepared to publish reports introducing and analyzing each nation's policies for green economy and Korea's green growth was chosen as the first subject.
At the report on Korea's green growth, UNEP said "Beyond its policies at the national level, the Republic of Korea is demonstrating engagement and leadership at the international level by boosting global efforts towards achieving a green economy.
The Republic of Korea was instrumental in the adoption of a Declaration on Green Growth by the Ministerial Council Meeting of member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on 25 June 2009. It is also playing a key role in promoting an East Asia Climate Partnership."
In addition, UNEP said Korea's commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP from 2009 to 2013 for investment in green economy is remarkable effort to reorient and refocus investment in the environment.
In particular, UNEP said, "It has been particularly efficient in the actual disbursement of its fiscal stimulus, with almost 20 per cent of funds disbursed at the end of the first half of 2009, compared to 3 per cent for most countries."
UNEP also described that given its status as a non-Annex I Party to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Republic of Korea's announcement, in a voluntary and independent manner, of a national mid-term target to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 from its otherwise projected growth is very encouraging.
Regarding water and ecological infrastructure, UNEP said water scarcity is another challenge facing the Republic of Korea and additional water control policies will likely be necessary to weather expected climate irregularities.
SOURCE: APEC VC KOREA
