The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, Secretary-General Inger Andersen) announced on the afternoon of September 20 (local time in New York) that South Korea has been selected as the host country for the 54th World Environment Day in 2025 through high-level discussions at the UNEP office in New York, USA.

World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5 each year, was established as a United Nations commemorative day at the 1972 United Nation Conference on the Human Environment to pledge international society's interest and efforts in environmental conservation. It is the world's largest environmental event, attended by prominent figures from various countries, representatives of international organizations, businesses, and non-governmental organizations worldwide, where they commit to collective efforts of the international community. South Korea has successfully attracted an international environmental event for the first time in 28 years since hosting the 28th World Environment Day celebration in Seoul on June 5, 1997.

In particular, the 2025 World Environment Day event is expected to provide an opportunity to widely promote the importance of ending plastic pollution to the international community, as it will be held the year after the 5th intergovernmental negotiation on the plastic agreement, which has been ed to be held in South Korea in the second half of 2024. Specific event details, including the venue for domestic hosting, will be determined through discussions with the UNEP in the middle of 2024.

Inger Andersen, the Secretary-General of the UNEP, stated, "A strong collaborative relationship is the foundation of multilateral cooperation in the environmental field." Sheexpressed gratitude to South Korea for hosting World Environment Day in 2025 to end plastic pollution.

Minister Han Wha-jin stated, "The year 2025, scheduled for the signing of the Plastic Agreement, is a turning point in global environmental conservation." She added, "As the host country for the 2025 World Environment Day, South Korea will lead the international community's efforts to prevent plastic pollution."

Contact: Youm Seung-keon, Deputy Director

International Cooperation Division / +82-(0)44-201-6575