1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Seoul National University Asia Center, held the 12^th ROK-SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Partnership Seminar at Intercontinental Hotel Seoul on November 23.

° Since 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has annually held the ROK-SAARC Partnership Seminar, a 1.5 track consultative mechanism to which government officials and experts from SAARC member states are brought together to facilitate mutual understanding and discussions on future cooperation between the ROK and South Asian countries.

2. Amid the growing calls for global cooperation on climate change, the Seminar, which was held to explore ways to promote climate change cooperation between the ROK and SAARC, served as an opportunity for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, authorities of SAARC countries in the fields of diplomacy and environment, and experts from relevant institutions at home and abroad including the Seoul National University Asia Center, to have an in-depth discussion on climate change cooperation.

※ Ms. Seo Min-jeong, Deputy Director-General of the Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the Seminar.

° The participants of the Seminar shared how each country is responding to climate change. They also exchanged views on ways for cooperation between the ROK and South Asian countries such as in technical assistance and capacity building in reducing vulnerability to climate change and promoting climate action.

3. With the Korean government having enhanced the 2030 NDC target and scaled up green official development assistance (ODA) as part of its efforts to contribute to the international community’s endeavors to realize carbon neutrality in an inclusive way, this Seminar served as an opportunity to reaffirm along with South Asian countries the need to tackle the climate crisis as well as the will of both regions to cooperate to this end.