President Lee Myung-bak, who has only a few months until the end of his five-year tenure, is mostly unpopular but there is one area in which he is recognized highly ― his strenuous efforts so far to spread the gospel of green growth around the world.
How his flagship four-river restoration project is evaluated differs greatly. But what is clear is that Lee played a key role in hosting the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a new United Nations fund set up to manage billions of dollars to help developing nations combat climate change, in Songdo last month.
Seoul’s hosting of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), which was officially launched as an international organization in Seoul on Oct. 18, is also heavily indebted to Lee.
Under his ``low carbon, green growth’’ drive, South Korea founded GGGI in 2010 as a think tank tasked with developing strategies for the new growth paradigm. Seoul has since worked to upgrade GGGI into an official international organization. So far, four countries, including the Philippines, have ratified the GGGI establishment agreement and 18 countries have signed the treaty.
GCF and GGGI symbolize Korea’s green growth initiative along with the Green Technology Center (GTC) established here in March while countries around the world, especially developing ones, feel the urgent need to seek green growth amid rising environmental threats.
However, our lawmakers neglect their duties to ratify the pact, engrossed blindly in partisan politics amid the whirlwind of the presidential election, with only one week remaining before the closure of the National Assembly’s regular session.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says the delayed ratification of the agreement, now being spearheaded by the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP), may serve as an occasion for Seoul to lose the GGGI headquarters.
As reasons for its refusal to approve the treaty, the DUP cites loose budgetary management and opaque accounting. In fact, the Board of Audit and Inspection has confirmed the existence of rampant budget waste in connection with the establishment of the international organization.
Also, the opposition party is raising the possibility of a suspicious scandal implicating President Lee; Lee devoted himself to hosting GGGI in Seoul to become its chairman after his retirement from the presidency only to obtain the privilege of immunity accorded to international organizations ― allegations vehemently denied by the presidential office.
The opposition’s argument could be quite persuasive but this should not be an excuse for refusing to ratify the treaty. This is about an international organization already joined by nearly 20 countries.
This is all the more so, considering that GGGI came into being under our initiative. And it would be impolite to the international community if the DUP continues to hold on to its earlier position for unconfirmed and unclear reasons. The ratification of the GGGI pact must be completed as soon as possible.