VICE MINISTER’S INTERVENTION AT THE GGGI COUNCIL AND ASSEMBLY
September 9, 2016

Thank you, Mr. President.

Before I make a very brief intervention, I have one thing to share with all my colleagues around the table. I just learned from a very informal source that today is your birthday. Happy birthday to you, Mr. President. May I invite all colleagues to give a big round of applause to President Yudhoyono?

Mr. President,

We appreciate the Director-General’s progress report on the achievements the GGGI has made since 2014. As he is going to relinquish his duties very soon, I would like to pay my high tribute to him for his outstanding leadership which has been instrumental in making all these achievements possible. Among others, we highly value the accession of Fiji, Jordan, Vanuatu, Senegal, Hungary and Thailand as new members, and the un-earmarked contributions by UK, Indonesia and Mexico. His legacy will indeed serve as new impetus for the GGGI to further develop into a full-fledged international organization.

Turning back to the progress report, we have some comments and suggestions to make. Let me elaborate them briefly.

First, the GGGI’s move to the right side of the value chain is an appropriate strategy to become an organization which delivers implementation of green growth projects. It is also a right approach for the GGGI to prioritize designing bankable projects. However, designing alone does not guarantee effective implementation. It can only be achieved when the projects yield tangible results. Such results will serve as sources of encouragement for the future work of the GGGI and the earlier the harvest, the greater the impact. Therefore, we would like to encourage the GGGI to selectively focus its resources on designing the most promising bankable projects which can yield an early harvest.

Second, the GGGI should ensure that its activities are fully in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The world will concentrate its resources on implementing these two agreements over the next fifteen years. Without close partnership with other players in line with these agreements, the GGGI cannot deliver meaningful outputs. In this regard, we welcome the Green Growth Knowledge Platform and the Inclusive Green Growth Partnership. However, the GGGI’s partnership shouldn’t stay only within the scope of knowledge-sharing and in-country coordination if it seeks to become an organization which actually delivers. It should also build strong partnership with financial institutions, be they public or private, in implementing the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. In particular, it is imperative for the GGGI to be accredited as an implementing entity of the Green Climate Fund as soon as possible. This accreditation would help the Institute secure more resources available to the bankable projects and contribute to the financial sustainability of the GGGI.

Third, we support the enlargement of the GGGI membership and hope that it will become an international organization with universal membership in the foreseeable future. To this end, taking advantage of relevant diplomatic occasions, we have been doing our best to bring in the countries with which the GGGI has been in contact for their accession. Recently, we were informed by our embassy in Lima that Peru had completed its domestic procedures to join the GGGI. To keep up this momentum, we hope to see the GGGI step up its efforts to secure the membership of China and India. These two emerging economies will make a significant contribution in promoting south-south cooperation within the GGGI.

With these brief comments and suggestions, I would like to conclude my intervention. But, before closing, let me extend once again my sincere appreciation to Mr. Yvo de Boer for the vision, passion and commitment with which he has led the GGGI during the last two and a half years. I wish him all the best in his new responsibilities. I would also like to welcome Mr. Frank Rijsberman, the incoming Director-General of the Institute. I am quite confident that with his distinguished career and broad experience in both public and private sectors, Mr. Rijsberman will leave his own legacy as new DG. I can assure the Council and the Assembly of Korea’s full support for Mr. Rijsberman so that he can successfully move forward the GGGI into new frontiers building upon his predecessor’s achievements.

Thank you very much. /END/