Seoul Mayor Park, Won-soon (center) congratulates the newly elected members of ICLEI’s East Asia Regional Executive Committee and Office Directors. (From left to right: ICLEI Korea Office Director Chin, Dae-shik; Japan Office Director Michie Kishigami; Suwon City Mayor Yeom; Seoul City Mayor Park, Won-soon; Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann; Kaohsiung City Vice Mayor Liu, Shyh-fang; Seoul City Vice Mayor Kim, Sang-bum )

ICLEI establishes Regional Executive Committee for East Asia

ICLEI has established its Regional Executive Committee for East Asia at an inaugural meeting in Seoul on 4 May 2012. Hosted by the City of Seoul and chaired by ICLEI Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, the Committee took a number of governance decisions in order to make ICLEI’s new governance structure operational for the region. From June 2012 ICLEI will have a Council as supreme decision making body representing its about 1,200 Members in 74 countries, a Global Executive Committee and nine Regional Executive Committees.

Members of the East Asia Regional Executive Committee (RexCom) are: Mayor Daikasu Kadokawa, Kyoto City, Japan; Vice Mayor Kim, Sang-bum, City of Seoul, Republic of Korea; Vice Mayor Liu, Shyh-fang, Kaohsiung City, Chinese Taipei; Prof. Pan, Jiahua, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS); Mayor Yeom, Tae-Young, Suwon City, Republic of Korea. Kyoto Mayor Kadokawa has been asked to assume the role of Chair (tbc), and Seoul Vice Mayor was elected Vice Chair of the RexCom. Seoul Mayor Park, Won-soon joined the meeting to congratulate the members of the RexCom and the Directors of ICLEI’s country offices.

Talks are underway on the establishment of an East Asia Regional Secretariat in Seoul. At sub-regional level, ICLEI maintains a Japan Office in Tokyo and a Korea Office in Jeju, and will soon open a capacity enter in Kaohsiung and a Taipei Office in Taipei (Chinese Taipei) and also envisages to establish a first presence in China.