Special Representative of the President of Kyrgyzstan for Mountain Policy, Dinara Kemelova, visited the Republic of Korea to discuss initiatives related to the sustainable development of mountainous areas, combating climate change, and strengthening international ties within the global agenda on mountain issues.
During her visit, she held productive consultations with Park Jong-ho, Executive Director of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFOCO), and Kim Sang-hyup, Executive Director of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). Opportunities for cooperation with representatives of the Green Climate Fund were also discussed to implement projects aimed at developing the mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan as part of the Action Decade (2023–2027).
Additionally, Kemelova met with Kyun Jong-ho, Ambassador and Deputy Minister for Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, as well as Nam Song-hee, Director General of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Korea Forest Service.
Dinara Kemelova emphasized Kyrgyzstan's progress in raising issues of the interconnection between mountains and climate at the international level within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, including planning an international dialogue on these topics in 2026. Initiatives were proposed to establish a Global Center for Mountain Region Resilience in Bishkek and to create a Global Program for the Development of Mountain Countries, calling on the Republic of Korea to consider the possibility of partnership.
During the discussions, prospects for joint projects concerning the restoration of forest ecosystems, disaster risk reduction in mountainous regions, addressing land degradation and climate change issues, as well as branding products from mountainous areas and strengthening the institutional capacities of mountain countries were also considered.
Furthermore, Dinara Kemelova participated in a round table titled "Promoting Global and Regional Mountain Dialogue: Towards the Second Global Mountain Summit 'Bishkek+25'," which was organized jointly with the Secretariat of the Central Asia-Korea Cooperation Forum. This event involved representatives from Korean government agencies as well as international organizations such as AFOCO, GGGI, and UNESCO. The mountain agenda was also presented at the Center for Eurasian and Central Asian Studies at Seoul National University.
