Gyeonggi Province to Host 8th International Clean Air Forum in Pangyo on 27th
Gyeonggi Province will host the '8th International Clean Air Forum 2026' at DoubleTree by Hilton Pangyo on the 27th under the theme 'Air·Beyond·Climate: Responding to Climate Crisis Beyond Clean Air.'
The International Clean Air Forum commemorates the 'International Day of Clean Air (September 7)' designated by the United Nations at Korea's proposal, and is hosted by Gyeonggi Province to establish international cooperation foundations for resolving environmental issues such as climate change and air pollution. This year marks the eighth edition.
This year's forum will be attended by around 200 participants including local government officials from Cambodia's central government and Kampot Province, China's Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces, Mongolia's Ulaanbaatar, and officials from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Health (WHO ACE), domestic and international experts, and Gyeonggi residents.
This year's forum theme is 'Responding to Climate Crisis Beyond Clean Air,' which is characterized by broadening discussion scope beyond air quality improvement to address climate crisis.
The forum consists of three parts: opening ceremony, insight session, and international session. At the opening ceremony, Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae will deliver opening remarks followed by keynote speech 'Carbon Governance Rewritten by AI' by Park Tae-ung, chairman of the Nokseo Forum. Appreciation plaques will be presented to international organizations UN ESCAP and WHO.
The insight session will feature discussions among domestic experts on the theme 'Climate and Air, One Crisis,' while the international session will address topics including 'Air Quality Innovation in Asia-Pacific Starting from Gyeonggi Province' and 'International Community's Commitment to Clean Air.' Domestic and international experts, local governments, and international organization officials will discuss solutions and joint response measures to climate and air issues.
In particular, ahead of the forum from the 25th to 26th, Gyeonggi Province will operate a 'Gyeonggi Province Climate Crisis and Air Pollution Reduction Excellence Policy Expansion Cooperation Program' in collaboration with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) for local government officials in the Asia-Pacific region. Participants will share Gyeonggi's climate and air policies and best practices while visiting relevant sites, and discuss sustainable joint cooperation methods among Asia-Pacific local governments including air quality data and monitoring.
Cha Seong-su, head of Gyeonggi Province's Climate, Environment and Energy Bureau, said, "Since climate change and air pollution have transboundary impacts, they are difficult to resolve through efforts of individual regions alone. We hope this forum will serve as an opportunity for Gyeonggi Province, Asia-Pacific local governments, and international organizations to share policies and experiences and jointly seek sustainable cooperation measures."