Seoul and Jeju Island from June 4-13 will host events to promote the global reduction of plastic pollution. (iClickArt) *Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution of this photo is prohibited under copyright law.
By Koh Hyunjeong
The country for the first time in 28 years will host events to mark World Environment Day (June 5), an official occasion designated by the United Nations (U.N.).
For this, the government will debut a model of global cooperation to tackle plastic pollution and promote a customized multilateral framework to support the transition to a circular economy.
The Ministry of Environment on June 3 said Seoul and Jeju Island from June 4-13 will host events to mark the day. The commemorative ceremony will be held on June 5 at International Convention Center Jeju in the island's city of Seogwipo.
Under the theme "Beat Plastic Pollution," the ceremony will also have as its official slogan "Shared Challenge, Collective Action." The message is that plastic pollution is a problem not limited to specific countries, but a global challenge that all of humanity must jointly resolve.
The ceremony will also announce to the world the Action for Circular Economy Initiative. Unlike other joint projects, this new framework for international collaboration aims to diagnose the complex causes of such pollution and propose tailored solutions.
Some 1,300 figures are expected to attend including representatives of high-level delegations from 20 countries such as Laos, Bangladesh and Japan, global organizations such as the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, civil society, industry, academia and youth groups.
The ceremony will be livestreamed from 2 p.m. on the official YouTube channels of the Ministry of Environment and UNEP.
hjkoh@korea.kr
