By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

The main agenda for the second round of the Korea-Africa Forum dealt with how to achieve economic development while protecting nature.

Korea and participating African nations adopted the Korea-Africa Green Growth Initiative, an annex to the Seoul Declaration, promising to achieve sustainable growth in a coordinated and harmonized manner.

"We agreed to expand bilateral and multilateral channels for dialogue between Korea and Africa to build a consensus on green growth and hold policy forums to strengthen partnership for low-carbon green growth," the accord said.

President Lee Myung-bak has pushed the green policy, seeking to cut the nation's dependence on fossil fuels and instead, promote environmental friendly energy sources such as solar power.

His long-term plan is estimated to cost $87 billion on a range of projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop technologies to enhance energy efficiency.

The two sides also agreed to implement environmental cooperative projects such as establishing a master plan and conducting feasibility studies on environmental projects.

Projects for exchange and cooperation are expected to be promoted in the areas of water supply, sewerage, waste treatment and management of air pollution.

They concurred on transfer of green technologies and cooperation that could help resolve global environmental issues and contribute to the creation of green markets.

"We agree to cooperate in exploring green businesses that utilize advantages and characteristics of the environment of Africa such as eco-tourism and the preservation of biodiversity," the agreement said.

The two sides also promised a joint response to the major global issue of climate change.

They also agreed to cooperate in exploring clean development mechanism projects such as biomass energy projects and greenhouse gas mitigation projects.

They will share policies and technologies to strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change such as the establishment of an information system for predictions on climate change and analysis of its impact and vulnerability.

More Cooperation

With the attendance of more than 130 officials, including Jean Ping, chairperson of the AU Commission, the forum had two sessions - partnership on green growth and cooperating for co-prosperity.

Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Simbarashe Simbanenduku Mumbengegwi and Ebrahim Ebrahim, South Africa's international relations and cooperation deputy minister, joined the first session on how to cope with climate change and advance cooperation in green growth.

The second session discussed cooperation to achieve co-prosperity and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Based on an agreement among 192 U.N. member states and more than 23 international organizations, the goals include reducing extreme poverty, child mortality rates and fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS/HIV.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Jibril Maigari and Rosemary Museminali, Rwanda's top diplomat, took part in the session and delivered speeches.

An official for the foreign ministry said African countries were very interested in sharing Korea's experiences on economic development since the country made eye-opening progress in such a short period of time.

He noted that this meeting is more than just a forum.

"An ordinary forum is usually a place for delivering speeches and discussing certain subjects. But this forum involved a ministerial meeting hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan," he continued, asking not to be named.

Top diplomats in the high-level meeting adopted the declaration, the green growth initiative and the Framework for Korea-Africa Development Cooperation.

Korea and Africa agreed to hold the third round of the forum in 2012 and determine a venue after further consultations.

Korea's Commitment to Africa's Development

The Korea-Africa Forum was created based on "Korea's Initiative for Africa's Development" signed in 2006, which is said to have paved the way for improving the bilateral relations.

It has been playing a role of a consultative body of government officials, scholars and civilians to serve as a regular consultation channel between Korea and Africa.

With the initiative, the country promised to triple the overall amount of development assistance to Africa by 2008 and substantially increase the amount more than twofold from $42 million in 2005 to $107.1 million last year.

The initiative also sought to increase opportunities to share with the African countries its own experiences in overcoming poverty and underdevelopment within a short period of time.

As part of this effort, Seoul plans to invite 1,000 Africans to Korea.

About 2,000 people were actually invited here between 2006 and 2008, and offered training programs on administration, information technology, industrial energy and rural development.

On the other hand, more than 700 Koreans went to African countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Senegal and Rwanda, and undertook various voluntary activities.

Healthcare was also an important issue and Korea sought to expand programs to reduce the child mortality rate, improve maternal health and eradicate diseases, including AIDS/HIV, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr