1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host the 5th High-Level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership in Seoul on October 20, and explore ways to enhance cooperation between the ROK and Caribbean countries in the field of new and renewable energy.

2. The upcoming forum will bring together ministers and vice ministers from six countries in the Caribbean, including Bahamas, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Guyana, and Suriname, as well as presidents of electric power and oil corporations of three countries, including Jamaica and Haiti, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In Session 1, the participants will share the new and renewable energy policies of the ROK and the Caribbean region. In Session 2, the ROK side will introduce the ROK’s new and renewable energy technologies and stories of successful entry into overseas markets. In Session 3, the participants will learn about examples of Caribbean countries’ cooperation in the area of new and renewable energy, with a focus on the current status of international organizations’ cooperation projects and financial support.

3. The Caribbean region, which is seeing continued economic growth, especially in the tourism industry, based on its excellent natural environment, is known as one of the regions most vulnerable to the increasing natural disasters and environmental degradation, caused by the recent climate change.

4. The Caribbean region is showing an unparalleled solidarity among the countries in the region on the global stage, including the UN. The region, which is highly dependent on imports of oil, a major source of energy, and has high energy production costs, is making joint efforts to enhance energy independence, develop clean energy, and increase energy efficiency.

5. Ahead of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21), which will take place in Paris in early December this year, global interest in responding to climate change is rising. The 5th High-Level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership, to be held against this backdrop under the theme of cooperation in new and renewable energy, is seen as timely.

6. By introducing the ROK’s advanced technologies and cooperation projects in the field of new and renewable energy to the Caribbean region at the forum, the ROK hopes that the forum will be an opportunity to show that the ROK is the best suited partner in a transition to the era of clean and alternative energy, which is essential for Caribbean countries’ sustainable development.

7. Furthermore, the Foreign Ministry will actively support Korean companies’ efforts to increase their presence overseas by providing networking opportunities with foreign participants for Korean companies interested in entering the energy market in the Caribbean region.


*unofficial translation