SEOUL, 20 July 2016 ? The Philippine delegation to the Joint Capacity Development Program-Green Economic Development, jointly organized by Korea and Germany’s international cooperation agencies, paid a courtesy visit on Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez on 20 July 2016 at the Philippine Embassy chancery in Seoul.

The 20-odd delegation, comprising Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) officials, Filipino businessmen, and Manila-based officials from Germany’s Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, was in Korea as part of its broader Promotion of Green Economic Development (ProGED) program. The ProGED program was established by GIZ to address the growing concern among Philippine micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on the effects of climate change by introducing the concept of green economy. It is jointly undertaken in the Philippines by the DTI and GIZ based on the mutual recognition of the strong link between the green economy development path and enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises in the private sector. During the visit, the delegation briefed Ambassador Hernandez on the program, their itinerary in Korea, and the various beneficiary projects all over the Philippines. The meeting also discussed how Philippine micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can build a viable, successful, and sustainable business model by incorporating green technology and practices. The delegation also touched on how Philippine MSMEs can be assisted to become more disaster-resilient, be competitive in the global and regional markets, and what services the Philippine Embassy in Seoul can extend to help the program participants. The visit was undertaken in coordination with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and afforded the delegation and opportunity to learn the best practices of Korea in green economic development. Specifically, the delegates were taught more about the multi-level policy framework underpinning Korea’s green economy and witness the different province-driven local initiatives for Green Economy in the country. The program also allowed the participants to understand the integral role of industrial and business sector and academic or research institutions in pursuing the green technology development and eco-innovation in Korea, as well as recognize the importance of Renewable Energy and the actual status of its promotion in the country. More importantly, the program provided the participants a chance to establish important network and prospective business opportunities between Korea and the Philippines in the sector of green technology and SMEs. KOICA is a development aid agency of the Republic of Korea which was established in 1991. KOICA’s mission is to reduce poverty, promote living standards and help realize sustainable, equitable and inclusive development in developing countries. GIZ, which stands for “German Corporation for International Cooperation” in English, is an international cooperation company owned by the German government to promote sustainable development in more than 130 countries. It was established in January 2011 through the merger of three agencies involved in development assistance and has its headquarters in Bonn and Eschborn. For 30 years, it has through its predecessor agencies been providing forward looking contributions to political, economic, ecological and social development in partner countries. ? END?