Home » Candidates » Jong Soo Yoon for position: Regional Councillor – South and East Asia

Candidate info

Particular qualifications to be a Regional Councillor:
I have over 35 years of experience in environmental protection and sustainable development at the national government level and in the United Nations. I had the honour to serve as the Vice Minister of Environment after a career of thirty years in the Korean Government. For the last five years, I headed the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) under the UN Headquarters and developed a programme to support developing countries in facilitating successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Currently, I am the Chair of the IUCN National Committee in the Republic of Korea, and a Senior Advisor for the law firm KIM&CHANG. IUCN has a special place in my heart. I was the Vice Minister of Environment when the Republic of Korea hosted the fifth World Conservation Congress in Jeju. Through the Jeju Congress, I realized the special and important role of IUCN in nature conservation. For this reason, after the Congress, I spearheaded the Ministry's decision to join IUCN as the first Framework Partnership Donor in Asia. I believe I can make an important contribution to the IUCN Council with my vast experience in environmental policy, organizational management and development assistance at international level.

Link to qualifications details

Experience in fields of concern to IUCN:

Nature conservation was a key priority during my tenure as the Deputy and the Vice Minister. As the Chair of the National Parks Commission, I led the designation of two new sites under the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme and four new Ramsar Sites. I also initiated the work to designate the De-Militarised Zone as a MAB Area and supported the first Global Geopark designation for the Jeju Island. I led the establishment of the National Institute of Ecology in Korea whose function is to research, exhibit and educate on ecological resources. In addition to hosting the Jeju WCC, I launched Korea’s bid to host CBD COP12 in Pyeongchang. I have experience in a wide range of environmental issues, serving as a Director-General of several bureaus – Climate Change and Air pollution, Water and Sanitation, and Resource Recirculation – which are closely inter-connected with nature conservation. I also have experience in organization management. As the Vice Minister, I oversaw more than 1,800 staff and developed numerous strategies for organization reforms. As the head of UNOSD, I have hands-on experience of conducting thirty projects annually for capacity development, advisory services and research on SDGs. Based on my background, I believe I can play a critical role in successfully completing the mission given as an IUCN Councillor. I will use all my competence to ensure that IUCN becomes a more valuable platform for promoting nature conservation and international cooperation.

Acceptance of NominationManifesto

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