11 August 2009: In his remarks to the Global Environment Forum in Incheon, Republic of Korea, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that some 80% of the Republic of Korea’s US$38 billion national stimulus package is dedicated to green growth, and nearly a million green jobs will be created in the coming four years.

But he stressed that the Republic of Korea must do more, and called on the Government to set ambitious goals for reducing its emissions, noting that the “powerful emerging economy can serve as a bridge between developed and developing countries.”
He also outlined four key political issues: the commitment by industrialized countries to binding mid-term reduction targets on the order of 25-40% below 1990 levels; nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries to reduce the growth in their emissions substantially below business as usual; sufficient, measurable, reportable and verifiable financial and technological support from developed countries to developing countries; and an equitable and accountable mechanism for distributing these financial and technological resources. He concluded by calling for bold “outside-the-box” thinking to turn the tide of climate change. [UN press release]