The Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center of Korea (President Choi Min-ji), under the Ministry of Environment, announced that it will jointly operate the 15th International Greenhouse Gas Experts Training Program* with the UNFCCC Secretariat for three weeks starting July 14 at Sejong University (located in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul).

* The training program has been held annually since 2011.

This training program will be attended by 28 government officials and researchers from 27 countries around the world, as well as 3 domestic graduate students. Notably, 416 people from 93 countries applied for the program, recording the highest-ever competition rate of 18 to 1, far exceeding the average annual rate of 10 to 1. 

This demonstrates that Korea's greenhouse gas training program is receiving high interest and trust from the international community. Additionally, the growing demand for capacity building in various countries, spurred by the full implementation of greenhouse gas reporting obligations under the Paris Agreement since last year, has also played a role. 

This year’s training program strengthened collaboration from the planning stage of the lectures not only with the UNFCCC Secretariat but also with international organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

Personnel from international organizations and relevant specialized institutions will visit Korea in person to conduct the lectures, and the instructors, equipped with extensive practical experience and expertise in their respective fields, are expected to significantly enhance the depth and quality of the training.

The three-week training will be practice-oriented, covering everything from the basics of preparing National Inventory Reports (NIR*) to methods for calculating and verifying greenhouse gas emissions in sectors such as energy, industrial processes and product use (IPPU**), agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU***), and waste. In addition to the training, participants will visit Namsan Mountain and Hykr Ground (a cultural complex in Jung-gu, Seoul) to experience Korea’s natural environment and culture firsthand.

* National Inventory Report: An official report prepared to calculate and report a country's greenhouse gas emissions, which must be submitted to the UN along with the Biennial Transparency Report.

** Industrial Processes and Product Use: A sector that covers greenhouse gas emissions resulting from chemical or physical processes in industrial operations or from the use of products.

*** Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use: A sector that includes both greenhouse gas emissions and removals resulting from activities related to agriculture, forestry, and other land use

Choi Min-ji, President of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center, stated, “Under the Paris Agreement, all Parties are required to submit Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR*), but many countries still face difficulties in reliably reporting their greenhouse gas emissions to the international community.” She added, “We will strive to make Korea’s training program a standard for supporting greenhouse gas management capacity in developing countries.”

* Biennial Transparency Report (BTR): The first report designed to verify each country’s overall response to the climate crisis. Starting in 2024, all countries must transparently disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and removals, as well as the implementation status of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to the international community every two years through the BTR.

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division. 

Contact person: Gina Lee, foreign media spokesperson

Phone: +82-44-201-6055

Email: gcjgina @gmail.com