Officials from Korea and seven Caribbean nations discuss ways to enhance their partnership on climate change and food security, at the sixth High-level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership, in Seoul on Oct. 26.
Korea and seven Caribbean nations have agreed to bolster their partnership on climate change and food security.
On Oct. 26, high-level officials from Suriname, the Bahamas, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica and Saint Lucia attended the sixth High-Level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership in Seoul to discuss methods to counter climate change and to increase food security.
Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Niermala Badrising, Dominica’s Minister for Health and Environment Kenneth Darroux, the Bahamas’ Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Alfred Gray, as well as heads of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), attended the forum.
From the Korean side, Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hyoung-zhin and some 150 specialists from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), the Rural Development Administration (RDA) and the Korea Food Security Research Foundation attended the event.
During the forum, the officials from the Caribbean nations raised their concerns about the negative impact of climate change on their region, and asked for Korea’s cooperation on combating this global issue. In response, the KMA presented some of its current research into climate change and discussed the possibility of conducting joint meteorological research, and dispatching Korean specialists to the Caribbean region.
High-level officials from seven Caribbean nations and representatives from related international organizations pose for a picture during the sixth High-level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partership, in Seoul on Oct. 26.
The nations also discussed the detrimental effects of climate change on agricultural productivity. To address the issue of food security, the participants talked about breeding more resilient plant species and setting up small-scale smart farming facilities across the region. The RDA, referencing the successes of the Korean government’s New Community Movement, or Saemaul Undong, and other developmental projects around the world, agreed to expand cooperation on agricultural productivity with its Caribbean partners.
Minister Kim Hyoung-zhin said, “Climate change has been threatening the tourism industry in the Caribbean over recent years. Moreover, instable agricultural production and distribution has given rise to food security issues in this region. Using the expertise Korea has gained in policy making over the years, we hope to strengthen our partnership with the Caribbean and work with them to solve some of the issues that are affecting the world community at large.”
By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
hlee10@korea.kr
