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UNEP툰자 세계어린이 청소년 환경회의 개회사<영문>

  • 작성자 : 김진옥
  • 등록일 : 2009.08.24
  • 조회수 : 2947
Mr. Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme,
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
My very young friends, boys and girls of the world,

I am very pleased to speak to you on the occasion of the TUNZA International Children and Youth Conference on the Environment 2009. I would like to thank the United Nations Environment Programme for their kind invitation.

On behalf of the government of the Republic of Korea, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all of you, particularly to those foreign participants who have made a long journey to Korea for this special event.

I am sure that many of you are new to Daejeon. If you had the time to look around the city and its adjacent areas, you will have noticed that Daejeon city is making a lot of efforts to green the region. I am aware that as a participant of the 70 Billion Tree Campaign led by the UN Environment Programme, Daejeon promotes the 30 million trees project. I truly hope that this campaign will contribute significantly to mitigating global carbon emissions.

I am very pleased and happy to stand before you, so many children and youths from around the world. Many times I have been surprised to find the remarkable environmental consciousness exhibited by children and youth. And I sincerely believe that you, the future leaders of the world, are the ones who will do the best job in looking after our fragile planet, earth.

My very young friends,

As you all know, the challenges of climate change are larger than ever. The adverse impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels, increase in climate-related natural disasters, and unnatural changes in the ecosystem are threatening the very survival of humankind.

If the current fossil-fuel dependent economic structure continues, the world will not be able to withstand the effects of aggregate carbon emissions. That is why it is so critical that we reduce carbon footprints at all levels. The smallest effort will result in the most important contributions when you think in terms of billions of people taking small steps to lessen their carbon footprints.

It is also very important that we keep sending our messages reminding the international community of the importance of taking global action now to fight climate change.

Under the Bali Roadmap adopted in 2007, the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change have been conducting intensive negotiation sessions throughout 2008 and 2009 to reach an agreement on the new post-2012 climate regime. In December this year in Copenhagen, we will learn whether we have a good deal on the future of mankind. This painstaking negotiation will be one of the most critical deals humankind will be making in a long time.

The negotiations in Copenhagen that we await entail efforts by societies to shift from the old, quantity-based carbon-intensive growth paradigm to a new, quality-based low carbon growth paradigm. The global economic slowdown, coupled with the problem of carbon price hike, called for governments to make fiscal investments and many governments saw it fit to pursue a green new deal, with a significant part of the investments going toward laying the groundwork for a green economic recovery. I hope that all these combined efforts contribute greatly to advance global climate action.

My young friends,

I believe that the expenditure on low carbon efforts is really a necessary and beneficial investment to secure sustainable development in the long run. Low carbon, green growth makes good economic sense and is the moral choice for both developing and developed countries.

It is against this backdrop that President Lee Myung-bak of Korea proclaimed Low carbon, Green growth as Korea's new national vision on August 15th last year on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea. With the conviction that climate actions can be the main engine of a sustainable and green economic growth, the Korean Government is focusing on turning the climate crisis into an opportunity for continued growth.

Indeed, Low carbon, Green growth must become the leading paradigm, not only for Korea, but for the international community as a whole in order for us to achieve a synergistic effect between energy security, effective climate actions, and sustainable development. This approach will indeed help countries to come to an agreement in Copenhagen.

Ladies and gentlemen, and
My young friends,

There is an old Chinese adage: a crisis poses danger, but it also presents opportunity. I hope that all of us will make the wise choice to seize this moment and turn this crisis into an opportunity.

As representatives of your generation, you should continue to fully engage in the global fight against climate change. After all, it is the very world that you have to live in and take care of after our generation is gone. You should try to educate each other, your neighborhood, your community and try your best to stay involved, focused and interested, you should believe that your contribution counts.

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy your stay in Korea, make life-long friends, and take home with you great memories.

Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the UNEP, UNEP National Committee for the Republic of Korea, Daejeon Metropolitan City and everyone else for organizing this event. I wish all of you and the organizers the best of luck and great success.

Thank you.