Environment ministry to host green transition forum with 16 Asia-Pacific nations

The environment ministry said it will host the 21st Seoul Initiative policy forum from Sept. 15 to 17, gathering over 100 participants from 16 Asia-Pacific countries. Held at the Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Botanic Park in Gangseo-gu, the event marks the first year of the initiative's fifth phase focused on moving from crisis to action.

Organized with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the forum will feature government delegates, representatives from nine international organizations and about 40 executives from 20 green innovation companies. Attendees include officials from Nepal, Fiji, Turkiye and Cambodia alongside experts from the UN Environment Programme and the Global Green Growth Institute.

The agenda includes sharing national case studies on green transformation. A dedicated session on the second day will allow domestic and foreign firms to present green technologies while policy makers evaluate their local applicability and commercial potential.

Participants will also visit the Seoul Capital Area Western Resource Circulation Center in Hwaseong and the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant in Ansan to observe South Korea's circular economy and renewable energy infrastructure.

Kim Ji-young, the ministry's director general for international cooperation, said the fifth phase will strengthen its role as a green bridge by connecting field-level needs with corporate solutions. "We aim to link tasks required by member states with the expertise of international organizations and companies to ensure these discussions lead to actual cooperative projects," Kim said.