Chairman Rasmussen,
Ministers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for being here with us this evening and for coming all the way to Incheon to participate in the 3rd Council meeting of the GGGI. I hope that this two-day meeting will serve as an excellent opportunity to seek the best solutions for the challenges facing the GGGI, using our collective wisdom.

It was at the COP 15 held in Copenhagen in 2009 that the Republic of Korea proposed the establishment of the GGGI as an international asset to support and promote green growth throughout the world. The GGGI took its first step as a non-profit organization in Korea in 2010. And at the Rio+20 Summit in June of 2012, the GGGI took the exciting step of embarking on its journey as an international organization. Making its mark all around the world, from Rio to Seoul, the GGGI has made great strides, establishing its place as a valued international organization.

Although less than one year has passed since its conversion into an international organization, the GGGI, thanks to the commitment and endeavors by the members and staff of the Secretariat, has fulfilled its duties very well indeed. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank all those who have devoted themselves to the development of the GGGI, especially Chairman Lars Rasmussen, Director-General Howard Bamsey, and his predecessor, Richard Samans. Without their commitment and dedication, the GGGI of today would not have been made possible.

I also would like to express my special thanks to Mr. Kim Sang-hyup who has resigned from the GGGI Council today. It is he who first put forward the idea of the GGGI and played a leading role in the GGGI’s conversion into an international organization. And his valuable contribution laid the foundation for the GGGI to develop into a thriving international organization in a short period of time. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors and hope that the GGGI will continue to benefit from his sage advice in the coming years.

With the GGGI’s emergence as an international organization, there have been thriving discussions on green growth in the global community. And finally, in the outcome document of the Rio+20 Summit, "The Future We Want", green economy was put forward as one of the important tools to achieve sustainable development, representing the first recognition of it at the UN level. Since then, a greater attention has been paid to the new paradigm of green growth on the global agenda.

The GGGI is now expected to fully realize the very purpose of its establishment; assisting the developing world in planning and implementing green strategies. With the high expectations of its role, the GGGI stands now at a critical juncture. Depending on what we do now and in a couple of years, it could prove to be an agency that merely goes with the international trend of green growth; or it could emerge as a world-class international organization in the field of green growth.

In the short term, there are important tasks ahead such as acquiring the decision by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) for the GGGI’s ODA eligibility and expediting Korea’s internal process of ratifying the Headquarters Agreement. From a longer term perspective, there remain the tasks such as, among others, the internal capacity building of the GGGI and efficient implementation of country projects in the developing world. These are all vital steps if the GGGI is truly to forge ahead. The road ahead will not be smooth. It will be bumpy indeed. But challenge and opportunity are two sides of one coin. Taking one step forward at a time and building on the cooperation and coordination between the GGGI members and staff of the Secretariat, the GGGI shall ultimately be able to become an indispensable tool for countries to achieve the goal of sustainable development.

As a leading actor in the establishment of the GGGI and as its host country, the Republic of Korea remains committed to provide its strong support for the GGGI in the coming years. I am confident that all of you present here tonight will continue to be our trusted partners in our common endeavors to make the GGGI a truly world-class international organization.

With this positive note, I would like to conclude my brief remarks. May I now invite you to join me in a toast to the great success of our joint efforts to this end as well as your enjoyable stay in this city of Green Hub of the world in the 21st century.

/The End/