Mayor Kim Yong-seo to Attend ICLEI World Executive Committee

Suwon Mayor Kim Yong-seo will attend the 2007 ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) World Executive Committee to be held in Jeju Province from the 27th to the 29th, where he will present Suwon's plans for ecological and water quality protection programs for next year.

At this executive committee meeting, discussions will cover the CCP (Cities for Climate Protection) campaign for urban climate protection at the local government level to prevent global warming, as well as ecological footprint calculations and ecological budgeting for sustainable local government management.

Additionally, collaborative partnerships with international organizations including ICLEI, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), UN-HABITAT (United Nations Human Settlements Programme), and UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments) will be the focus of intensive discussions.

Through an executive committee report, Mayor Kim will announce Suwon's ecological footprint survey and water protection campaign scheduled for implementation in 2008, marking the first such initiative in Korea.

In his capacity as an ICLEI executive committee member, Mayor Kim will also participate in deliberations and voting on the approval of 2006 business settlement accounts and the review of 2008 business plans and budgets.

Meanwhile, ICLEI was founded in 1990 with the aim of encouraging local governments to actively participate in addressing global environmental issues. Currently, 667 local governments in 68 countries are active members.

Mayor Kim, who joined ICLEI in 2005, was appointed as an East Asia executive committee member of ICLEI's highest decision-making body last year and is scheduled to serve until 2009.