ICLEI appoints Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon as its new President; announces new Global Executive Committee for 2015-2018

April 8, 2015, Seoul, South Korea:  ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability opened its biggest World Congress today in Seoul. The congress gathers over 1500 delegates from more than 250 local and subnational governments in 96 countries committed to building a sustainable urban future.

At the opening ceremony, outgoing ICLEI President David Cadman officially handed over his legacy to Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon who is a keen enthusiast of sustainable approaches to climate change. As the new ICLEI President, Mayor Park’s vision is to promote sustainability not only in Seoul but also in other cities worldwide.

“We have a responsibility to hand this green planet onto our children. A city’s problem is no longer the problem of one country or one city. These are global challenges that all cities must address, with Mayors taking the lead,” said Mayor Park.

Mayor Park is a champion of urban sustainability and has helped Seoul to become one of the world’s leaders on sustainable development. Most recently, Seoul successfully completed the first phase of its “One Less Nuclear Power Plant” initiative.

Mayor Park explained: “We implemented this initiative in order to respond to the continually rising demand for electricity. Our aim was to reduce energy demand by an amount equivalent to the production of one nuclear power plant. To do this, we partnered with the private sector to help us produce more energy from renewable sources, and we encouraged all our citizens to save energy in their daily lives. In June 2014, we were able to announce that we had met our target six months ahead of schedule.”

Outgoing President David Cadman commented: “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as President of ICLEI’s Global Executive Committee. During my Presidency, ICLEI has increased its membership and has helped cities, towns and regions to move towards a truly sustainable future. Whether they are using our case studies to learn about best practice, networking at our events, or reporting their greenhouse gas emissions through the carbonn Climate Registry, our Members are benefiting from ICLEI’s support on their journey to full sustainability.”

ICLEI  also announced its new Global Executive Committee 2015-2018. The ICLEI Global Executive Committee represents ICLEI Members on the global level and is the only governance body able to amend the association’s By-laws. The ICLEI Global Executive Committee and the ICLEI Council are the global decision-making and oversight bodies for the global association.

A series of addresses were made by high-level representatives, including His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, IPCC Vice Chair Hoesung Lee, and Deputy Executive Director of UNEP Ibrahim Thiaw. The speeches and list of the ICLEI Global Executive Committee can be downloaded at worldcongress2015.iclei.org 

Media contacts:

Katrina Borromeo
ICLEI, Head of Communications
+82 10 5677 2531 
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About the ICLEI World Congress

The triennial ICLEI World Congress is the foremost assembly of local governments, and their

partners, committed to sustainable urban development. The 2015 ICLEI World Congress convenes over 3,000 delegates, more than half of whom are mayors, elected officials, and city representatives. The Congress  will showcases most innovative practices and pioneering solutions of ICLEI Members and partners with a view to demonstrating that a transition to a globally sustainable  future is possible. worldcongress2015.iclei.org

About ICLEI

ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability is the world’s leading network of over 1,000 cities, towns and metropolises committed to building a sustainable future. By helping our Members to make their cities sustainable, low-carbon, resilient, biodiverse, resource-efficient, healthy and happy, with a green economy and smart infrastructure, we impact over 20% of the global urban population. www.iclei.org