On May 4, the Korea Environment Institute (KEI) held a joint workshop with the Economics Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The event consisted of three parts: opening remarks by KEI President Chang Hoon Lee and ERIA Special Advisor to the President, Tetsuya Watanabe; introductions of the two institutes and a briefing on their major environmental/climate projects; and discussions on enhancing cooperation between the two institutions.

KEI President Chang Hoon Lee and ERIA Special Advisor to the President, Tetsuya Watanabe, engaged in a discussion

The second part of the event included two presentations by ERIA. Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, Director of Research Strategy and Innovation, made a presentation on ERIA’s research on climate change and circular economy in ASEAN member states. Ayako Mizuno, Program Manager, introduced ERIA’s project that established an information center aimed at addressing the problem of marine plastic debris in East Asia.

To further facilitate cooperation between the two institutions, the need for KEI to enhance its contribution to global sustainable development and expand its research area was discussed. In particular, the importance of expanding research to develop strategies for international environmental cooperation, addressing the global environmental agenda, was highlighted. Additionally, providing fundamental data for expanding environmental cooperation based on partnerships with ERIA and other major institutions, as well as supporting capacity building, were discussed as KEI’s future role in contributing to sustainable development in ASEAN member states.

Group photo