The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) announced that Vice Minister Lim Sang-jun of the Ministry of Environment will attend the "5th Asia-Pacific Environment Ministers (hereinafter referred to as Asia-Pacific) Meeting" to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on October 5th to discuss strengthening cooperation for resolving regional environmental issues.

The Asia-Pacific Meeting is a biennial regional pre-meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) held in Nairobi, Kenya. During this meeting, senior officials from member countries in Asia-Pacific (41 countries) gather to review the agenda for the upcoming UN Environment Assembly and gather the opinions of the Asia-Pacific region.

The 5th Asia-Pacific Meeting is being convened to prepare for the 6th UN Environment Assembly scheduled to be held in Nairobi in February next year. The previous 4th Asia-Pacific Meeting was held in Suwon, South Korea, in October 2021.

At the 5th Asia-Pacific Meeting, Vice Minister Lim Sang-jun plans to emphasize concrete goals for addressing the three major crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, andpollution. South Korea, as the host country and chair of the 4th Asia-Pacific Environment Ministers Meeting, will preside over the election of the chairman and vice chairman and the adoption of the agenda at the beginning of the meeting.

Furthermore, Vice Minister Lim Sang-jun will also participate in a side event titled "Journey for Clean Air," organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Asia-Pacific Office with the support of the Ministry of Environment. During the event, he will emphasize the importance of joint action in the Asia-Pacific region to improve air quality.

In addition to these activities, Vice Minister Lim Sang-jun will hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from the host country, Sri Lanka, as well as Nepal, Tuvalu, and the Cook Islands. These discussions will focus on expanding environmental cooperation, particularly in the field of waste management.

Vice Minister Lim Sang-jun stated, "Starting today, our task is to put into action the goals we have agreed upon so far." He further emphasized that South Korea, as a "Green Ladder" for countries in the Asia-Pacific region, will actively support the environmental conservation efforts of developing countries.

Contact: Youm Seung-keon, Deputy Director

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