2015 Green Asia Forum Held, Featuring Ten Grassroots Environmental Heroes

Held in May 12, 2015 at the International Conference Hall, the Korea Press Center attended by a host of environmental experts from Korea and abroad

Brought together environmental leaders from across the world under the theme of “Climate Change Response and Energy Transition in Asia”

Seeking global governance from government-business-citizenry cooperation towards a green Asia

Korea Green Foundation (President Yul Choi) and Seoul National University Asia Center (Director Myung-koo Kang) are hosting the 2015 Green Asia Forum on May 12, 2015at the International Conference Hall, Korea Press Center.

Green Asia Forum was established in 2012 with the aim of collectively responding to environmental issues in Asia in collaboration with Asian recipients of the Goldman Environmental Prize, which is commonly known as the “Green Nobel Prize.”

This year’s Green Asia Forum is the largest in its history, and will be held under the theme of “Climate Change Response and Energy Transition in Asia,” bringing together ten Goldman Environmental Prize winners, over 20 environmental experts from 13 countries, as well as environmental activists in Korea, students, relevant figures from government and business sectors, and citizens.

A total of nine Goldman Environmental Prize winners from overseas will visit Korea to attend the 2015 Green Asia Forum.

▶ Azzam Alwash: Representative of Nature Iraq who contributed to restoring the ecological habitat in the Mesopotamian marshlands that was destroyed during the despotic rule of the Hussein regime, as well as founding Iraq’s first national park (Asia 2013 Goldman Prize recipient)

▶ Tuy Sereivathana: Cambodian director of Fauna and Flora International (FFI) who has worked to disseminate an innovative model for peaceful coexistence between wild elephants and people (Asia 2010 Goldman Prize Recipient)

▶ Von Hernandez: Executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia who was also selected as a Hero of the Environment by Time magazine in 2007 (Asia 2003 Goldman Prize Recipient)

▶ Dmitry Lisitsyn: Head of Sakhalin Environment Watch who fought to protect critically endangered ecosystems in Sakhalin Island caused by reckless resource extraction(Asia 2011 Goldman Prize Recipient)

▶ Rudi Putra: Indonesian biologist who worked in Aceh Province of Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil producer, to stop illegal forest encroachment for palm oil production that destroyed the Sumatra ecosystem, which was home to many wild animals including orangutans, tigers, and elephants (Asia 2014 Goldman Prize Recipient)

▶Myint Zaw: Myanmarese journalist whose media activities greatly contributed to stopping the construction of the Myitsone dam across Irrawaddy River in order to prevent the destruction of the local ecosystem and to protect the settlements of ethnic groups (Asia 2015 Goldman Prize Recipient)

▶ Craig E. Williams: Co-founder of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 along with other groups that formedInternational Campaign to Ban Landmines, and director of the Kentucky Environment Foundation who formed a national grassroots coalition against the incineration of chemical weapons stored in the United States (North America 2006 Goldman Prize Recipient)

▶ Michal Kravcik: Chairman of the NGO People and Water who created and disseminated an alternative water management method to prevent environmental damage from the construction of large-scale dams, beyond Slovakia to all over the world (Europe1999 Goldman Prize Recipient)

▶ Andrew Simmons: Director of Kings Hill Development Solution who spearheaded a youth community-based environmental movement in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in an effort to protect the ecosystem of the Caribbean (Islands and Island Nations 1994 Goldman Prize Recipient)

Other attendees include David Gordon, Executive Director of Goldman Environmental Foundation, and Lorrae Rominger, Deputy Director.

Attendees from Korea include Jaechun Choi, President of National Institute of Ecology, who will open this forum with his keynote talk; Hye-jeong Kim, director of the Nuclear Power Special Committee of Friends of the Earth Korea; Yeong-su Choi, manager of Seoul Metropolitan Government Climate and Environment Headquarters; Sun-jin Yun, professor of Seoul National University Environment Graduate School; Tae-ho Kim, secretary general of Energy Peace; Myung-koo Kang, director of Seoul National University Asia Center; Byeong-ik Ahn, director of Institute for Climate Change Action; Goh Kum, former Prime Minister and honorary director of Climate Change Center and Seong-kyu Yoon, Minister of Environment, both of whom will be giving congratulatory addresses for the opening ceremony; and Won-soon Park, Mayor of Seoul, who will extend his greetings at the official dinner.

Along with the United Nations Climate Summit to be held in September 2015 to adopt Sustainable Development Goals as a replacement for the Millennium Development Goals, along with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) to be held in Paris, France, the 2015 Green Asia Forum will discuss climate change responses and transition to sustainable energy resources in Asia.

Other events include Green Cinema Talk organized by a student planning team of the New Silkroad Project, one of Seoul National University’s global talent fostering projects; a civil society discussion organized by Korea Environmental Conference; participation in the 12th Green Film Festival in Seoul; and a visit to the National Institute of Ecology.

The 2015 Green Asia Forum is co-hosted by the Korea Green Foundation and Seoul National University Asia Center, in collaboration with Seoul National University’s New Silkroad project team, Korea Environmental Conference, and Green Film Festival in Seoul, supported by the Environment Ministry, Community Chest of Korea, Samsung, and POSCO. The event has no entry free and is open to every citizen with an interest in environmental issues. Participants with prior reservations will be offered a light lunch and souvenirs.

For more information, please contact 02-2011-4311/4383.

◆ The Goldman Environmental Prize was founded in 1989 by the Goldman family, who were grassroots leaders and philanthropists in San Francisco, U.S., in order to honor environmental activists from all over the world (one from each of the world’s six geographic regions) for recognition in one of the following nine areas, including environmental policy, forestry, marine environment protection, rivers and dams, and sustainable development. The prize includes an award of US$175,000 per recipient, and so far a total of 156 winners have been awarded. The 1995 Asia Goldman Prize winner Yul Choi, President of Korea Green Foundation, is currently the only Korean to have received the prize.