Asia Foundation Supports Northeast Asian Mayors’ Forum with Focus on Low Carbon City Development

On June 18-19, The Asia Foundation supported the Third Northeast Asian Mayors’ Forum, which was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Since its establishment in 2014, the Forum has become a platform for expanding regional cooperation and discussing the challenges of sustainable urban development. Previously the Foundation also partnered with the city when it hosted the 2016 Northeast Asian Mayors’ Forum, “Supporting Cities to Promote Green Energy.” This year’s event, “Low Carbon City Development: Improving Air Quality and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions” featured delegates from all six Northeast Asian states, 18 city mayors and officials (including from Pyongyang, Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo, Suwon, and Daejeon), and representatives from international organizations. The Forum included the sessions “Guidelines for Green City Development” and “Technology solutions of low carbon cities and good practices.”

At the opening of the Northeast Asian Mayors’ Forum, Governor of the Capital City and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar Sunduin Batbold emphasized the international implications of climate change and the region’s role in combating its effect: “[The] Northeast Asian region is home to a quarter of the world’s population. In this regard, the topics that we are discussing today are regional and international issues because 60 percent of total greenhouse gas is released in urban areas.”

The region has advanced its commitments to regional cooperation in the issues of climate change by agreeing to start negotiations on establishing a charter. In 2020 the fourth Forum will be hosted in Seoul, South Korea, focusing on “Peace and Prosperity”.

The Asia Foundation supports cross-country and regional dialogues throughout Asia to enable government and non-governmental leaders to share lessons and best practices related to governance and common development issues. The Asia Foundation works to strengthen relations among Asian nations in the effort to foster peace, stability, prosperity, and effective governance.

Read more about the Foundation’s work.

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