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| Woori Financial Group Chairman Son Tae-seung, right, poses with Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw, at the latter's headquarters in the German city of Bonn, Oct. 5. Courtesy of Woori Financial Group |
By Lee Min-hyung
Woori Financial Group Chairman Son Tae-seung pledged to strengthen cooperation with international organizations for the restoration of nature and climate finance.
Son embarked on his business trip to Europe for four days from Oct. 4 and visited a series of international organizations dedicated to fulfilling environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) values.
According to Woori, Son met with Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw. The two held talks on how to ensure sustainable forest and land management amid escalating concerns of climate crisis.
"It is very crucial for Woori and global ESG organizations to solidify their ties to save the planet at this period of unstable global financial environment conditions amid the energy crisis and inflation," Son said. "We expect our cooperation with the international community and organizations to serve as a foundation for saving the earth."
Thiaw also expressed gratitude for Woori's efforts toward practicing ESG management, saying that the firm's pledge to cooperate with the United Nations' efforts against desertification was very encouraging, the company said in a statement.
Son also visited the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative in Switzerland and joined the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). The NZBA is an alliance of global banks dedicated to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. More than 110 banks from 41 countries across the world are members of the alliance.
Eric Usher, head of the organization, welcomed Woori becoming a member of NZBA and showed interest in the banking group's efforts to fulfill the Principles for Responsible Banking.
Following his trip to Europe, Son will move on to the United States to attend the 2022 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group along with the leaders of Korea's other major financial holding firms.
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