Seoul to Host Top-level Climate Change Meeting

Seoul will host the 2012 Pre-COP Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change from October 21-23rd. The high-level meeting will set the groundwork for the 18th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 18), to be held in Qatar from November 26th-December 7th.

Seoul expects to welcome 300 participants from 50 countries for the October Pre-COP meeting, where they will discuss how COP 18 will proceed. Participants will include government secretaries, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariats, and members of non-government organizations.

“The Korean capital is proud to be playing a significant role in COP 18 via the Pre-COP Ministerial Meeting,” said Seoul Convention Bureau vice-president Maureen O’Crowley. “Seoul is strongly committed to green growth, and to be able to contribute to this high-level meeting where the outcomes will have important ramifications for our planet is indeed an honor.”

During the Pre-COP, the Seoul-based Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) will be officially launched as an international organization. The GGGI was established in 2012 to foster economic growth by developing green technologies and industries. The organization meets annually to promote cooperation among international organizations and federal governments actively working to increase environmental growth and green economic development. The second Global Green Growth Summit was held in Seoul last month.

COP is an annual meeting in which UN members assess how the world is dealing with climate change. COP 17 was held in Durban, which, together with Seoul, is a member of the Future Convention Cities Initiative.
The FCCI is group of member cities that collaborate to shape and accelerate the strategic development of their business events industries.

Maureen O’Crowley.

The Seoul Convention Bureau (SCB) played a key role in the preparation of the Pre-COP 18 bid proposal, an important part of its larger bidding clinic initiatives that have helped secure large events in recent years. The SCB will be providing operational support for the event from its Seoul Convention Supporters, a network of highly-trained, multilingual staff members who study at convention and travel-related universities. In addition, meeting delegates will receive copies of the Seoul Welcome Kit, which provides them with discounts at the city’s major meetings and tourism-related companies.