 Top delegates of the 2012 World Conservation Congress pose after signing the Jeju Declaration during the closing ceremony of the 10-day environmental conference on Jeju Island, Sunday. They are, from left, Gov. Woo Keun-min of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Environment Minister Yoo Young-sook, Lee Hong-koo, chairman of the organizing committee, and Ashok Khosla, president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. / Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
The delegates at the 2012 World Conservation Congress (WCC) on Jeju Island adopted a declaration Saturday to promote Korea’s green growth policy as a solution for sustainable development.
More than 10,000 participants of the United Nations, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and companies from over 170 countries came up with the Jeju Declaration that summarized the discussions in the 10-day environmental conference organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The quadrennial meeting took place on the resort island as economic difficulties dominating international debates while relatively less interest has been shown toward the protection of nature.
And the declaration proposes preserving biodiversity and development of the economy at the same time is possible through sustainable development.
“Biodiversity should be seen not as a problem but as an opportunity to help achieve broader societal goals,” the declaration stated. “We must work with the public and private sectors to enhance the transfer of green technology, share knowledge, experience and skills to integrate biodiversity and ecosystem values into global production and consumption. We encourage governments and businesses to pursue inclusive and gender-responsive green growth that ensures social integration of vulnerable groups, helps eradicate poverty, and keeps humanity’s footprint within ecological boundaries.”
The declaration includes discussions from the World Leaders’ Dialogue, talks between international environmental leaders and members of the audience. The IUCN featured the program for the first time in this the 23rd WCC. It said through the declaration it will initiate a similar program on a regular basis on the island. The forum, also known as the Jeju World Leaders’ Conservation Forum, will focus on nature-based solutions to promote sustainable development.
In Korea’s first WCC, the country managed to draw some local environmental issues to the attention of the international community. The IUCN approved a motion on preserving culture and community of female divers on Jeju Island. The divers who live by collecting shellfish show the unique matriarchal family structure of the island. The IUCN said it has contributed to the protection of the ecosystem as well as economic development through their activities, and added that their culture needs to be preserved.
A motion that sought to stop the military from building a naval base in Gangjeong Village on the island, however, was disapproved.
The Jeju Declaration will serve as the basis for environmental issues at the IUCN that will be led by Zhang Xinsheng of China for the next four years. He was chosen as new IUCN president, replacing Ashok Khosla of India.
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