Jeju Convention Center is expected to be a main venue to the 2012 global eco festival the island will host. |
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Jeju, Korea’s island province, will host the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2012, the Ministry of Environment said Thursday.
The congress, often dubbed as the Festival of Environment, is the largest event of its kind, where more than 10,000 experts, policy makers and civilians from 160 member states will gather to promote the wise use and the preservation of nature.
The local government of Jeju expects the event to raise 120 billion won in economic and related benefits.
Jeju beat out Cancun, a leisure city in Mexico, at the IUCN board meeting held in Gland, Switzerland, Wednesday. Environment Minister Lee Maan-ee flew over to lead the campaign to win the bidding.
“Jeju received high marks for high-end services, exemplary environmental policies and in many others areas. The convention facilities were evaluated to be excellent and the government’s visa-free entrance for the event was well received, too,” the ministry said in a press release.
Zakir Hussain, a staff member at the IUCN Asia Regional Office, told The Korea Times during his visit that he appreciated Jeju’s readiness.
The environment ministry will sign a memorandum of understanding with the IUCN next March to discuss details and protocols for the congress.
The IUCN was established in 1948 aimed at helping the world find pragmatic solutions to the most pressing environmental and development challenges.
It is the world’s oldest and largest environmental network, with more than 1,000 government and non-government organizations and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries. The congress is more than four times bigger than the Ramsar Convention, which was held in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2008.
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
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