The Ministry of Science and ICT (“MSIT”; Minister Lee Jong-Ho) announced that the Advisory Board of the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN AB) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Songdo, Incheon, Republic of Korea from March 21 to 29, 2023.
In 2010, the participants at the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) agreed to establish the Technology Mechanism, acknowledging the importance of science and technology in responding to climate change. The Technology Mechanism supports the development and transfer of climate technologies and consists of the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) that provides policy recommendations, the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) that supports technology cooperation, and a National Designated Entity (NDE) that serves as a national focal point.
The Mechanism implements the COP decisions related to technology development and transfer. It supports the recovery of developing countries hit the hardest by extreme weather events and the CTCN AB meetings are held twice a year.
The MSIT is actively participating in the activities of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism ever since 2015 when it was first designated as the Korea NDE. In 2018, Korea joined as an Advisory Board member and the MSIT was recognized for making the greatest contribution to technology cooperation activities.
The world’s first CTCN Partnership and Liaison Office (PALO) was established in Songdo, Incheon, in July 2022, given Korea’s technological prowess, contributions to technology cooperation, and favorable geographic location in the Asia-Pacific region.
The UNFCCC Technology Mechanism decided to hold its 21st meeting of the CTCN AB in Korea for the first time outside of Europe, in recognition of the contributions made by Korea, and invited the board members to Korea.
In the AB meeting, participants will discuss a way forward including establishing flagship projects, scaling up technical assistance (TA) projects, and collaborating with financial facilities (e.g. Green Climate Fund)** to carry out practical activities in eight areas for technology support*, selected during the COP27 in 2022.
* Eight areas for technology support: Digitalization, Water-Energy-Food Systems, Energy Systems, Buildings and Resilient Infrastructure, Technology Roadmap, National Systems of Innovation, Technology Needs Assessment, Business and Industry.
** Operating entities of Financial Mechanism under the UNFCCC including Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Adaptation Fund (AF)
In particular, the UNFCC Technology Mechanism will have an in-depth discussion on technology cooperation measures related to technology roadmaps and digitalization among the eight areas. To harness technological innovation to help developing countries better respond to rapid climate change, the Technology Mechanism will provide guidance on establishing technology roadmaps for each country, and will agree on the work process and key content to publish a policy report on climate change response through digital transformation such as machine learning.
In his welcoming remarks, Director General Koo Hyuk-chae of the R&D Policy Bureau of MSIT said, “The Korean government is making active efforts in technology cooperation, as illustrated by the launch of the CTCN PALO, to be at the forefront of climate technology cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.”
He added, “The MSIT will double up efforts to achieve technological innovation in areas relevant to carbon-neutrality such as hydrogen and CCUS and continue to support international R&D, technology demonstration, and mobility programs in close cooperation with agencies under the UNFCCC, so that the developed technologies can be deployed in the Asia-Pacific region.”
For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (E-mail: msitpress@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Please refer to the attached PDF.