Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is elected as the next chairman of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change (WMCCC), a governance organization of world city leaders. And the Seoul city government successfully attracted the East Asian regional headquarters of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) to Seoul. The ICLEI is the largest international environmental organization in the world.
The city government said on June 17 that Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was elected as the next chairman of the WMCCC at the 2012 WMCCC conference held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
As the organization of world’s local government leaders for preserving environment, the ICLEI held its world congress for 2012 on June 14~17 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Affiliated with the ICLEI, the WMCCC is an organization of world major cities’ leaders for establishing sustainable cities by addressing global warming and environmental pollution.
The WMCCC said it elected Mayor Park Won-soon as its next chairman in recognition of his keen interest in and philosophy on environmental and ecological issues, more than anything else, as well as his previous activities for promoting sustainability of local governments.
When he inaugurates as the 2 year-term chairman in October this year, Mayor Park will preside over the annual market adaptation forum and attend high-level international conferences representing the WMCCC. And he will also conduct various activities, including development of common policies jointly with about 70 city leaders, and coordination for implementation of such policies.
At the same time, the Seoul city government successfully attracted the East Asian headquarters of ICLEI to Seoul. The ICLEI is the largest international environment organization in the world participated by 1,220 local governments and associations of such governments in about 70 countries.
On the occasion of the world congress of the ICLEI, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon concluded an MOU with President David Cadman and Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann of the ICLEI for establishing and operating its East Asian headquarters in Seoul.
Under the accord, the Seoul city government and ICLEI will set up the latter’s East Asian headquarters in Seoul in October this year, and ICLEI will provide various support to the city for its energy policies, including the plan of reducing one nuclear power plant in Korea.
The ICLEI’s East Asian headquarters to be established in Seoul will conduct a variety of pivotal programs and activities, including the program of promoting exchange and cooperation between members in East Asia, establishment of green growth network, and programs of developing cities and energy strategies in East Asia.
The Seoul city government will host a forum in October this year celebrating establishment of the ICLEI’s East Asian headquarters by inviting mayors of the ICLEI and WMCCC member cities, simultaneously with the cabinet-level meeting of the 18th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.