 Building on its existing collaboration with the International Urban Training Centre (IUTC) in the Korean Gangwon Province, UN-HABITAT's Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos signed a new 5 year agreement with the Governor of Gangwon Province Moon-soon Choi to continue the agency's support to the Centre.
UN-HABITAT has been supporting IUTC since the Centre's inauguration in 2007. During this period, almost 20 regional training courses, ranging from 3 - 20 days, have been jointly organized for participants drawn from the Asia region. Subjects covered include urban development, management, climate change, energy, urban mobility, solid waste management and urban ecological restoration, among others.
The new agreement, signed on 12 October 2011, will deliver a minimum of six regional training courses per year from 2012. At the signing ceremony of the new Memorandum of Understanding, Governor Moon-soon Choi thanked UN-HABITAT for the successful partnership over the last five years. Dr. Joan Clos commended Gangwon's commitment and said the Centre provided an excellent example of the regional government's commitment to address issues on sustainable urban development.
Korea's experience of rapid urbanization and successful economic development spanning a period of 20 to 30 years is of great interest to local governments in the Asian Region and the IUTC serves as a good instrument to tell this great story. |
