On 13 December 2022, the IEU Head Andreas Reumann, the Knowledge Management & Uptake Specialist a.i. Yeonji Kim, and the IEU interns, Josephine Ngala and Martina de Vries, met with officials from Incheon City.

As part of the monthly “IEU Interns' Day” programme, the team members visited Incheon City Hall and had a chance to meet with the officials that implement air and water quality-related policies at the city level. There they presented and discussed the IEU mandate within the GCF ecosystem and information on a few completed and ongoing evaluations, all in Korean. The officials also made presentations explaining their directives and future environmental goals for the city. The City officials expressed appreciation for this first-ever exchange programme between Incheon City and those from the GCF, saying that it allowed them to learn directly about the GCF’s work and IEU’s role in independently evaluating the Fund’s investments and programmes.

Incheon City also proceeded to give the team a chance to visit two local factories as part of the quality check and monitoring procedures carried out by the City officials. These factories were the Lotte Fine Chemical plant and EOS Corporation plant, located within Incheon's Namdong Industrial Complex. During the site visit, the IEU interns had a chance to observe, ask questions, and actively learn how Incheon City regularly monitors the factories' compliance with the relevant laws and regulations stipulated by the Korea Ministry of Environment concerning pollutant emissions and waste management. The basis of this check by City officials was the designated checklist that was provided to the factories depending on the types of chemicals used and types of emissions.

Through the exchange and learning programme, the IEU interns observed the large quantities of wasteful bi-products, particularly sludge, being produced and the level of difficulty it took to manage and dispose of such material. They also saw how both plants managed to effectively render harmful gases safe through rigorous decontamination processes using water-purifying systems. The interns expressed great satisfaction in seeing first-hand how authorities, particularly the Korean government, and manufacturing plants collaborated closely to reduce pollutant emissions in the fight against climate change.

The IEU is truly grateful to Incheon City for making this exchange programme possible and looks forward to further collaboration with the city.

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