The Ministry of Environment ("ME," Minister Cho KyeungKyu) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) will jointly host the 12th Policy Consultation Forum of the Seoul Initiative Network on Green Growth (SINGG) on June 21-23 at Conrad Hotel, Seoul.

The forum will draw about 130 participants including environmental public officials from 20 Asian Pacific countries, representatives from international organizations including UN ESCAP, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), as well as experts from academia and industries at home and abroad.

The SINGG, a multilateral environmental cooperation network, was initiated by the Korean government at the 5th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific in 2005 with an aim to promote sustainable development in the region.

The policy consultation forum is a representative project of the SINGG and it aims to shed light on the progress in sustainable development of the region and suggest future directions every year. This year's forum will discuss nexus approaches for achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and share each country's experiences on carrying out policies related to sustainable development.

International organizations including UN ESCAP will present challenges facing the Asia and Pacific as well as nexus approaches to achieve the SDGs. Korea will introduce best practices such as integrated environmental management by Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corporation and Seoul's case as the role of cities for sustainable development.

The outcome of the forum will be reported to the 7th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development to take place in Thailand in September. In addition, the forum will serve as an input to the High-Level Political Forum 2018, which will take stock of implementation of the SDGs.

The participants will go on a study tour to Hanam Union Park and Hongcheon Energy Town to learn about Korea's good practices on integrated environmental management.

Lee Min-ho, Deputy Minister for Environmental Policy Office, commented that "Integrated environmental management is the key to address environmental challenges."  "I hope the forum will help raise awareness on nexus approaches to achieve sustainable development in Asia-Pacific countries," he added.