The Ministry of Environment announced on April 8 that it has agreed with the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to hold the 6th International Forum on National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in Korea next April.

The International Forum on National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), launched in 2013, is an official international conference of the United Nations, where policy makers from around the world discuss climate change adaptation planning and implementation issues.

According to the Ministry of Environment’s explanation, UNFCCC requested Korea to have this forum in response to the success of the Asian Forum on National Adaptation Plans that was held in Seoul last September.

More than 80 countries are expected to participate in the next year’s forum. The United Nations emphasizes the importance of adaptation to climate change by recommending that all countries adopt a climate change adaptation plan through the Paris Agreement, which was adopted in 2015. As a result, more than 100 countries around the world are expected to establish their climate change adaptation plans by 2020.

The Ministry of Environment is planning to raise the status of leading the adaptation of climate change in the light of this forum. In order to predict the impacts of climate change scientifically and to minimize the damages, the Ministry of Environment and related ministries are jointly establishing and implementing the second National Climate Change Adaptation Measures (2016 – 2020).

Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung said, “We will introduce Korea’s climate change adaptation policy experiences to the world with the opportunity of hosting the forum and support the establishment of climate change adaptation plans in developing countries.”

Meanwhile, UNFCCC has appointed Professor Choi Jae-chun of Ewha Womans University as an ambassador for climate change adaptation. Professor Choi is also the chairperson of the Central Environmental Policy Committee of the Ministry of Environment and the co-representative of the National Climate Change Forum.

Source. ET News http://www.etnews.com/20180408000008 (April 8, 2018)

South Korea should keep working on climate change issues and needs to take its initiatives and keep its leadership in this field.

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Ministry of Environment
International Cooperation Division
Director: Mr. Su-ho SUNG
Phone: +82-44-201-6560

Prof. Jae-chun CHOE at Ewha Womans University
Tel: +82-2-3277-4512
Email: jaechoe@ewha.ac.kr
Homepage: http://myhome.ewha.ac.kr/user/ecob/index.action