K-water Focus ② : Water, Nature and Humankind

K-water Focus ②
K-water, actively involved in the UN Water
Conference to promote greater global cooperationParticipation in 2023 UN Water Conference
The Asia Water Council(AWC) is the only water-related specially certified organization in S. Korea to participate at the ‘UN 2023 Water Conference’.
K-water, the AWC chair organization, has been recognized for its global water industry platform, leading to its designation as the global secretariat of
Green Transition Initiative (GTI), thereby contributing to enhancing Korea’s reputation in the international community.
Written by Choi Haeng-jwa Photos by K-water

AWC joins the UN Water Conference as a specially certified agency

The AWC was designated as a specially certified agency for the ‘UN 2023 Water Conference’ in August 2022, and thus was accredited to hold formal concurrent events at the UN headquarters.
The UN held the ‘UN 2023 Water Conference’ on March 22 to 24, 2023 at its New York headquarters. The first formal UN conference on water held 46 years after the inaugural UN Water Conference in Mar Del Plata in 1977 was hosted jointly by the Netherlands and Tajikistan.
The AWC is a leading water industry cooperation platform that brings together Asian countries and international organizations including the UN. K-water which is the AWC chair organization and the GTI secretariat has been working on various cooperation projects to help Asian countries tackle the climate crisis and resolve water issues.
On March 23, 2023, the AWC held a seminar on the theme of ‘Increasing Investments in Global Water Issues and Ways to Help Countries Meet SDGs(Sustainable Development Goals).’ The seminar was attended by government officials from Indonesia and Laos, and water expert delegates from the ADB, the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund and Inter-American Development Bank.
Planning Director Park Pyeong-rok said, “K-water will do its utmost to serve as a global water industry platform that connects national governments, international organizations and investment institutes from around the world, expanding the scope of its activities beyond Asia.”

K-water promotes international cooperation through various channels at ‘UN 2023 Water Conference’

During the ‘UN 2023 Water Conference’, K-water and the Ministry of Environment jointly held the kickoff ceremony of the Green Transition Initiative (GTI) at the Millennium Hillton New York on March 23, 2023. At the event, they adopted a joint declaration on △cooperation for green development, △alliance for global climate recovery, and △promotion of GTI expansion.
K-water and the Ministry of Environment also held seminars together with the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia on March 24, and provided a forum for global cooperation required to achieve SDG6 by 2030 by sharing benchmarking cases of advanced countries that have met SDG6 and discussing what supports developing countries need to address water issues and overcome the climate crisis in respective countries. The seminar is expected to ramp up water and climate-related cooperation projects between advanced and developing countries, and the development of new cooperation projects, with K-water assuming the role as a bridge to connect the two sides.