1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the “7^th Green Round Table” under the theme “’Green New Deal’ and its potential in Post-COVID-19 recovery” at the Westin Chosun Seoul on June 24.

2. The Green Round Table, held together with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and EIT Climate-KIC, an EU think tank, brought together people from various sectors at home and abroad (about 120 on-site participants and about 120 online participants), including the diplomatic corps, relevant government agencies, academia, and international organizations. The participants made presentations and had discussions in two sessions: Session 1 on the importance of the Green New Deal as a policy for post-COVID-19 economic recovery and response to climate change and environmental crisis, and Session 2 on country experiences and lessons for the Republic of Korea: the way forward for the success of the ROK’s Green New Deal.

o In her welcoming remarks, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha introduced the ROK government’s efforts to respond to COVID-19 and stressed the importance of the government’s Green New Deal in post-COVID-19 economic recovery. Minister Kang explained that the Green New Deal policy shows the ROK government’s commitment to make post-COVID-19 economic recovery more inclusive and environmentally-friendly. Through ambitious targets for climate change response at the P4G Summit and the Green New Deal to be implemented in post-COVID-19 economic recovery, Minister Kang also expressed hope that the P4G Summit, to be hosted by the ROK government next year, would serve as a stepping stone to the success of the 26^th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UNFCCC, to be held in the United Kingdom in November next year.

o In his congratulatory remarks, President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of GGGI Ban Ki-moon said that countries’ post-COVID-19 economic recovery policies need to reflect the importance of climate pledges, and stressed that it is the current generation’s political and moral responsibility to future generations. He also suggested that the current generation put sustainable development and green growth at the core of policies and regulations, and thereby make 2020 the year of change in climate trends.

o In his congratulatory remarks, Chairman of Presidential Committee on Green Growth Kim Jung-wook said that the Green New Deal policy should give consideration to the world in 50 or 100 years, as well as efforts for economic recovery, including job creation. He went on to express hope that the ROK’s Green New Deal would become a model for the international community, as the ROK’s COVID-19 response has been appreciated by the international community.

o In her congratulatory video message, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed highly commended the ROK government for not only successfully tackling COVID-19, but also developing growth strategies for the 21^st century through the Green New Deal. She expected that the ROK, which had overcome many difficulties in history and made remarkable changes, would achieve inclusive, future-oriented, and sustainable economic recovery.

3. At the event, GGGI presented a video clip that showed its accomplishments for the past 10 years to mark the 10^th anniversary of the establishment of GGGI, an international organization based in Korea promoting and assisting green growth in developing countries.

o President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of GGGI Ban Ki-moon delivered a photo album celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the establishment of GGGI to Minister Kang.

4. The Green Round Table, held amid the growing interest in green economic recovery policies at home and abroad, is seen to have not only served as an opportunity to explore the linkage between the Green New Deal policy and the long-term efforts to address climate change and achieve sustainable development goals, and to share developments in the international discussions in the area, but also laid the foundation for cooperation between the ROK and the EU in carrying out the Green New Deal policy.