Gyeonggi Province to Host UN Environment Programme International Forum on Air Quality Improvement in June 2020

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 2nd that it will host the ‘UNEP-led Air Quality Improvement Awareness Forum’ with participation from 21 countries in the Asia-Pacific region and private environmental experts at the Suwon Convention Center in June 2020.
This decision was made following Gyeonggi Province's proposal to co-host the ‘2020 Air Quality Improvement Awareness Forum’ at the meeting of the 21-member Intergovernmental Group (IG21) under UNEP held in Beijing, China on November 12th.

The ‘Air Quality Improvement Awareness Forum’ is held annually by EANET (Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia), an intergovernmental body established in 1998, to address transboundary air pollution issues among East Asian countries and share diverse information and knowledge regarding long-range transported air pollutants such as fine dust. The UNEP Asia-Pacific Regional Office operates its secretariat.
The Province introduced its ‘Comprehensive Fine Dust Reduction Plan Tailored to Citizen Experience’ during a visit to the UNEP Asia-Pacific Regional Office (located in Bangkok, Thailand) in December last year, and created an opportunity for hosting the forum by participating in the UNEP APCAP (Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership) program in February this year.
Subsequently, the province participated in the Air Quality Improvement Awareness Forum held at the UN Convention Centre in Bangkok on June 25th, introducing Gyeonggi Province's fine dust reduction projects and publicizing the damages caused by Chinese-origin fine dust, thereby attracting attention from international organizations and participating country representatives.
Additionally, on June 19-20, the province invited approximately 100 UN officials and East Asian government officials to host the ‘Clean Air International Forum’ at the Suwon Convention Center, emphasizing the importance of shared breathing community awareness and international networking, while sharing commitment to addressing air pollution at source countries and successful case studies.
The Province will maintain close consultation with the UNEP Asia-Pacific Regional Office and the Ministry of Environment for the smooth hosting of the forum. It will also select an implementing agency from among provincial public institutions and is preparing a commemorative ceremony and diverse side events coinciding with World Environment Day on June 5th as designated by the UN.

Han Hyun-hee, Director of Fine Dust Countermeasures Division at Gyeonggi Province, said "The Air Quality Improvement Awareness Forum co-hosted with UNEP next year will strengthen awareness of the shared breathing community in East Asia and present effective and diverse response measures against fine dust. We anticipate it will become an opportunity for East Asian countries, including Gyeonggi Province, to implement these initiatives as joint cooperative projects."