1. The International Conference on Water Management for Adaptation to Climate Change 
and Promotion of Green Growth in the Asia-Pacific Region, co-hosted by the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Land, Transport 
and Maritime Affairs, will be held on July 1-2, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Seoul.

2. The conference, sponsored by the Presidential Committee on Green Growth and K-water, 
will be participated by high-level officials from 15 countries including China, Japan, Mongolia, 
several ASEAN member countries, and four Central Asian countries (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, 
Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan). Representatives from international water management 
related organizations (UN, UNESCAP, UNEP, UNDP, FAO and the ADB) and experts from 
renowned water-related institutions (The World Water Council and Global Water Partnership) 
will also participate in the conference to discuss various water management policies of 
Asia Pacific countries in the era of climate change, and share the common challenges 
facing the participating countries. They will also discuss effective water management 
strategies for the Asia Pacific region’s achievement of green growth. 

ㅇ On July 1 during the opening ceremony scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Trade 
Minister Kim Jong-hoon will deliver an opening address and Dr. Loïc Fauchon, President 
of the World Water Council will deliver a congratulatory address. Also, Dr. Kim Hyung-kook, 
chairperson of the Presidential Committee on Green Growth will deliver a keynote address.  

ㅇ Also a luncheon meeting hosted by Mr. Lee Man-eui, Minister of the Ministry of 
Environment and a dinner meeting hosted by Mr. Chung Jong-hwan, Minister of the 
Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs will be held on July 1 for the participants 
of the conference. On July 2, Mr. Kim Kun-ho, president of K-water will hold a luncheon 
meeting in celebration of the publication of the Korean version of the UN World Water 
Development Report. The report, which has been published by UNESCO every three years 
since 2003, is a joint effort of the 26 UN agencies and entities.

3. The second edition of the UN World Water Development Report (2006) estimates that 
1.1 billion people lack access to improved water supply and 2.6 billion to improved 
sanitation. The OECD estimates that from 2005 to 2030 the number of people suffering 
from water shortage will increase from 2.9 billion to 3.9 billion. Water scarcity is increasingly 
becoming a problem due to population growth, industrialization, climate change and other 
worldwide phenomena. Unfortunately, there is no effective international mechanism that 
can help resolve the water-related problems which are intertwined with multiple stakeholders’ 
interests.

ㅇ Bearing this in mind, President Lee Myung-bak proposed “A specialized and integrated 
water management cooperation initiative to establish a more effective international 
cooperation system on water” in his speech at the 64^th Session of the General Assembly 
of the United Nations held in September 2009.

4. The conference, a follow-up to the president’s proposal, is expected to help Korea
assume leadership in the global efforts directed toward effective water management.

ㅇ At the conference the Korean government will endeavor to build support for Korea’s bid 
to host the 7^th World Water Forum, the world’s largest water management event which 
is held every three years by the World Water Council in close collaboration with the 
authorities of the hosting country.

ㅇ The conference, which will help Korea increase its understanding of the Asia Pacific 
region’s demand for water resources development and management and promote Korea’s 
advanced water resources development and management technology, is expected to 
provide Korean businesses a good opportunity to secure a foothold in the global market.

ㅇ In the afternoon of July 2, participants of the conference will visit the Shihwa Lake 
Reed Marsh Park, Korea’s first large-scale artificial wetland which opened in 2002, and the 
construction site of Shihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant, the world’s largest tidal power 
plant which will be completed in late 2010.

 

                 Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT