28 September 2020, Jeju, South Korea- The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Jeju (CIFAL Jeju) successfully concluded a series of learning webinars on “The European Green Deal”. The webinars aimed to introduce the Green Deal policies at the national and local levels for countries transitioning to more environmentally sustainable options. The Green Deal policy package aims to promote new development models that tackle pressing issues around climate change.

The Green Deal legislation package tackles issues related to climate change and economic inequality and it is in line with Sustainable Development Goal number 9 “Building resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation” with the ultimate goal of encouraging polluting industries to embrace green infrastructure and produce energy from renewables.

The webinars featured high profile speakers, including  Dr. Tom Mitchell from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, Dr. Sarwat Chowdhury from the United Nations Development Programme,  Seoul Policy Center, and Dr. Tae Yong Jung from Yonsei University, that covered topics related to Climate Policy. After the presentations, participants had the opportunity to engage in a panel discussion around the topic “What are the key priorities in implementing strategies and policies on green new deal in different national settings?”

Twenty-three participants from the Asia-Pacific region, including Cambodia, India, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea, engaged in the discussions and expressed their satisfaction with the organization of the events.