2023 UN Youth Environmental Assembly Opens in Suwon

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Junseong] The '2023 UN Youth Environmental Assembly' will be held at Suwon Convention Center on February 14-15.

Jointly hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), EcoMom Korea (NPO), and the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), and jointly organized by Suwon Convention Center (Foundation) and EcoMom Korea (NPO), the UN Youth Environmental Assembly is an educational program that derives solutions to overcome the Earth's environmental crisis from the perspective of youth.

This year, approximately 300 middle school, high school, and university student delegates from 12 countries, including South Korea, Canada, the United States, Peru, Ecuador, South Africa, and Somalia, will participate. The assembly will be held in a hybrid format combining in-person and online participation.

The official agenda of this assembly is 'Climate Crisis & Cities'. Since February 4, youth participants have been conducting a pre-mission program to investigate environmental issues in their assigned countries and explore practical alternatives.

The assembly opens at 1:00 p.m. on February 14. Ban Ki-moon, the 8th UN Secretary-General, will deliver the keynote address, and Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, Environmental Minister Han Hwa-jin, Colin Crooks, British Ambassador to Korea, Philip Goldberg, U.S. Ambassador to Korea, and Kim Hyo-eun, Ambassador for Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will deliver congratulatory remarks.

Participants will hold official and unofficial committee meetings during the main assembly and adopt 'resolutions'. They will also prepare concrete 'action plans' on how to implement them.

On February 15, a closing ceremony and related events will be held. The Gwanggyo Youth Orchestra will open the closing ceremony with a special performance, Chairman Kim Sang-hyeop of the 2050 Carbon Neutral Green Growth Committee will deliver closing remarks, and Korea Environment Institute Director Yi Chang-hun will give a special address. The 'Eco Leaders Panel Talk' will feature broadcaster and EU Climate Action Goodwill Ambassador Julian Quintart and others.