Korea, a proud example of development

First an Expo, next both a Winter and Summer Olympics for Kazakhstan?

30.11.2012

 

Hal Foster

ex-Los Angeles Times journalist, journalism professor

A lot of ingredients go into a developing country’s rise to the elite club of wealthy nations.
Among the most important are a well-thought-out national economic-development plan and an educated, hard-working population.

Many international economic experts say Kazakhstan has had an excellent development blueprint in place, with just one measure being a huge jump in gross domestic product per capita since independence 20 years ago.

As for educational attainment, the country is in the midst of the most sweeping educational change I’ve ever seen. It can only bode well for Kazakhstan’s ability to compete with the world’s elite nations.

An ingredient that can accelerate a developing country’s advance toward elite-nation status is an international event. And the foremost in this category are international Expos and Olympic Games.

Kazakhstan’s recent victory over Liege, Belgium, for the Expo 2017 promises to be an important development sparkplug.

And the country has brand-new infrastructure in place to land a Winter Olympics soon. It built most of the facilities for the 2011 Asian Winter Games that were split between Astana and Almaty. My guess is that Kazakhstan will land a Winter Olympics in the next two decades.

And if it can land a Winter Olympics, why not the biggest sports spectacle of all – a Summer Olympics?

Yes, Kazakhstan, with 17 million people, is a relatively small country to hold a Summer Olympics. But it has proven with events like the summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010, the Winter Olympics and the annual Astana Economic Forums that it can put on a grand show.

So there’s no doubt in my mind that it could hold a successful Summer Olympics.

The 161 member countries of the Paris-based Bureau for International Expositions certainly had no doubt about Kazakhstan’s ability to hold a successful Expo. Two-thirds of its members favored Astana’s bid over Liege’s. I almost felt sorry for Liege that the vote was so lopsided.

If you watched the televised reaction to Kazakhstan’s victory, you saw broad smiles on the faces of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and officials who will be key players in putting on the Expo, including Astana Mayor Imangali Tasmagambetov and Deputy Prime Minister Kairat Kelimbetov.

I’m just as delighted as many Kazakhs are that Astana will have an Expo. I’ve never been to one. To have one right in my back yard will be terrific.

It will be interesting to see how the two big international events I expect Kazakhstan to hold in the next couple of decades – the Expo and the Winter Olympics – will affect its development.

I was a journalist in Japan when Seoul landed the Summer Olympics in 1988. At the start of the 1980s, South Korea was a relatively poor country. Look at it now! It has a dynamic, diverse economy that is challenging the Americans, Japanese and Germans in autos, electronics and other fields.

Yes, South Korea was developing before the Summer Olympics. But just as the 1964 Olympics accelerated Japan’s development, the 1988 Games revved up South Korea’s economic engine.

South Korea also landed the last Expo – in 2012 in Yeosu. So the country knows full well what international events can do for an economy.

I’ll also be interested in seeing how Kazakhstan uses its 113-hectare Expo site after the exhibition.

President Nazarbayev has said it will become a science and technology park. That will fit with Kazakhstan’s quest for innovation.

Before the site gets to the technology-park stage, though, several million visitors will troop through it to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of the dozens of countries that take part in the Expo.

It will be a show a lot of us won’t want to miss.

For more information see: http://en.tengrinews.kz/opinion/298/
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Apple vs. Samsung Case

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Patents/2012/1882.html

The Oceans Compact

PRESS RELEASE

UN Secretary‐General to Launch Oceans Compact at
Yeosu International Conference

NEW YORK, 10 August ― United Nations Secretary‐General Ban Ki‐moon will launch the Oceans Compact—an initiative to strengthen United Nations system‐wide coherence to deliver on its oceans-related mandates--on Sunday, 12 August, in Yeosu, Republic of Korea.
The new Compact, “Healthy Oceans for Prosperity—An Initiative of the Secretary-General,” aims to bring together all parts of the UN system to improve the coordination and effectiveness of the work of the UN on oceans.
Mr. Ban will launch the initiative at the Yeosu International Conference to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Opening for Signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“The world’s oceans are key to sustaining life on the planet,” the Secretary-General says in the Compact, “constituting a conduit for ninety per cent of the world trade, and for connecting people, markets and livelihoods.” But he adds that humans have put the oceans under risk of irreversible damage by overfishing, climate change and ocean acidification, increasing pollution, unsustainable coastal area development, and unwanted impacts from resource extraction, resulting in loss of biodiversity, decreased abundance of species, damage to habitats and loss of ecological functions.
The Oceans Compact aims to mobilize and enhance the UN system´s capacity to support actions by Governments, and promote the engagement of intergovernmental
and non-governmental organizations, scientists, the private sector and industry to tackle challenges in protecting and restoring the health and productivity of the oceans for the benefit of present and future generations.
The Compact sets out a strategic vision for the UN system on oceans, consistent with the Rio+20 outcome document, “The Future We Want,” in which countries agreed on a range of measures to be taken to protect the oceans and promote sustainable development. The Oceans Compact also supports the implementation of existing relevant instruments, in particular the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
With the goal of achieving “Healthy Oceans for Prosperity”, the Compact establishes three objectives: protecting people and improving the health of the oceans; protecting, recovering
and sustaining the oceans’ environment and natural resources; and strengthening ocean knowledge and the management of oceans.
In addition to providing a platform for all stakeholders to collaborate and accelerate progress toward promoting healthy oceans, the Compact will be underpinned by pragmatic short-, medium- and long-term strategies to increase coordination and cooperation at the national, regional and global levels as well as within the United Nations system. The intent is to address the cumulative impacts of sectoral activities on the marine environment, including through implementing ecosystem and precautionary approaches.
In the Compact, the Secretary-General proposes the creation of an Oceans Advisory Group, composed of Executive Heads of involved UN system organizations, high-level policy-makers, scientists, leading ocean experts, private sector representatives, representatives of non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations. The Advisory Group would also advise on strategies for mobilizing resources needed for the implementation of the Oceans Compact Action Plan.
Background
The launch of the Oceans Compact follows the announcement by the Secretary-General earlier this year of his Five‐Year Action Agenda, which includes oceans as a main category. In that context, he decided to give strong emphasis to the importance of oceans and their role in sustainable development by putting forward the idea of an Oceans Compact that would commit the wide United Nations System to furthering “healthy oceans for prosperity.”
The timing of this initiative is especially significant as 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. The Convention is considered of strategic importance as the basis for national, regional and global action and cooperation in the marine sector and as an important contribution to the maintenance of peace, justice and progress for all peoples of the world.
The Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) in the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) has been organizing a series of events at UN Headquarters to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention, including a panel discussion held on World Oceans Day (8 June 2012 - see: www.un.org/Depts/los/reference_files/worldoceansday.htm) and the production of a video entitled "UNCLOS at 30" (available at www.un.org/Depts/los/index.htm). The commemoration will continue at the General Assembly’s sixty-seventh session, with two days of high‐level meetings, on 10 and 11 December 2012, and the publication of a pamphlet and a commemorative booklet on UNCLOS.
For further information, please contact Dan Shepard, UN Department of Public Information, 1 212-963-9495, email shepard@un.org

‘The Turtle’ nets ‘Golden Dolphin’

October 21, 2012
ABU DHABI: The Turtle, a film made for showing at the UAE Pavilion at the Expo 2012 Yeosu, Korea, has won the top award in its class at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Festival.

After The Turtle‘s enthusiastic reception in Korea, where the UAE pavilion achieved a Silver Medal, beating all its competitors except China, the film’s success in Cannes was warmly received by a large gathering of some of the world’s top filmmakers.

The star of the evening and the actor chosen to receive the award on behalf of both the filmmakers and the UAE’s National Media Council was Ahmed Al Dahouri, a young schoolboy from Ras Al Khaimah, who has no formal training as an actor but whose performance in The Turtle has been described as “inspirational,” “deeply emotional” and “mature”.

In a speech of appreciation at the award ceremony, in front of an audience of commissioning agents, film producers, directors and experienced actors, Ahmed thanked the production team for guiding his first steps into the world of film and mentioned that he was quite shocked to be standing on stage after his first performance.

He also made a plea from the heart that film producers should continue to play their role in raising awareness of key environmental issues.

“This film has focused a bright light on just one of the actions the UAE is taking to reduce pollution and protect the environment”, he said. “There are many others and highlighting such issues among the general public can have a really positive influence.

“As a young person who worries about what we are doing to our planet, I believe that we have a responsibility to influence change. I think films can play a big role in this,” he added.

 

Congratulations to Ahmed and the film production team were received from key figures in the UAE, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who commented that he found the film both moving and engaging and had been deeply impressed by the quality of the production, particularly the performances by Emirati actors.

A message was also received from Minister of State Reem Al Hashimi, who thanked Ahmed for his strong performance in the film and also for his recent contribution to “Ali’s Film,” in support of Dubai’s bid to host the World Expo in 2020.

“You are a great ambassador for the UAE,” she told the young Ahmed, adding, “We hope that you will be with us when we win the bid to host Expo 2020.”

The Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards is one of the most important festivals worldwide for corporate films, on-line media and TV documentaries and is the biggest of its kind in Europe. The present festival included 666 entries from 35 countries.
WAM

UN-NGO lauds UAE Pavilion main film Turtle

09/07/2012
Yeosu - Amidst widespread report that "Turtle," one of films being showcased at the UAE Pavilion at 2012 Yeosu Expo is gathering a legion of fans on YouTube, the IAEWP, UN-NGO (ECOSOC) has sent a letter lauding good set up of UAE Pavilion here.

"On behalf of the International Association of Educators for World Peace, I want to congratulate you for your good set up of the UAE Pavilion at 2012 Yeosu EXPO in Korea," Dr. Charles Mercieca, president of IAEWP said in his letter addressed to the National Media Council (NMC) of UAE and staff.

"We are quite confident in your capabilities to reach out to audiences at 2012 Yeosu Expo with such a wonderful film as Turtle for the 2012 Expo's main theme of "The Living Ocean and Coast" visualising the most desirable future for the ocean, " he said.

"We did not hesitate to select "Turtle" as the best film at 2012 Yeosu Expo. I take this opportunity to congratulate you for a good job done. Your dedicated team at UAE Pavilion in 2012 contributed toward environmental protection with metric results and performance," Dr. Mercieca said adding a plague of commendation to that effect will be made and presented to NMC staff at 2012 Yeosu Expo UAE Pavilion in due course.

IAEWP(http://iaewp.com) is a not-for-profit, non-political, and a non-governmental organisation geared towards the attainment of international understanding and world peace through education. IAEWP operates as an NGO under the mandate of the United Nations. It has more than 100 chapters established throughout the world with its headquarters in Alabama, U.S.

In 1973, the Association became a non-governmental organisation of both the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It also became a part of the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) for several years.

In 1990, we became officially linked with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Conference on Environmental Development (UNCED) both for many years.

The basic dimensions of its philosophy are a firm belief in peace and confident steps to achieve a new era of world peace. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Long Neglected, South Korea's Coastal Gems Aim to Shine Again - Le Monde

Long Neglected, South Korea’s Coastal Gems Aim To Shine Again

South Korea is rediscovering its beautiful coastline, and is working hard to turn its sleepy fishing ports into tourist destinations. Yeosu World Expo 2012 is the first among many events aimed at drawing visitors into the region.

 

By Philippe Mesmer
LE MONDE/Worldcrunch

Published on 2012-06-06 15:27:32

YEOSU - Long neglected by Seoul, the South Jeolla Province is hosting a three-month world expo on the theme “The Living Ocean and Coast.” Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea is being held in this South Korean coastal city of 300,000 on the Jeju Strait, hoping its future is as bright as its past.
"Yeosu used to be a gateway between Japan and China", says Bae Yong-tae, deputy governor of the province.
The city was also an important oil terminal. When Korea’s modernization started in the 1960s, Yeosu was more or less ignored by the government --so was the South Jeolla Province. "The problem," says journalist Ryan Kim of the daily Dong-A newspaper, "is that dictators Park Chung-hee, who ruled the country from 1961 to 1979, and Chun Doo-hwan, who was president from 1980 to 1988, put their home region first, located on the eastern coast of the peninsula, with cities like Busan, Puhan or Ulsan."
Politically speaking, the province has always had the reputation of being a rebel. It was the starting point of a huge uprising against the Japanese occupation in 1929; it then incurred the wrath of South Korean leaders’ harsh repression in 1948, during the struggle against communism, and again in 1980, when the army intervened in Gwanju against the movement for the democratization of the country.
The past has taken its toll on the region, whose population is currently slowly declining. The local fishing industry, which supplies 51% of the country's needs, is employing more and more Chinese sailors.
From fishing port to futuristic destination
But the development of the South Jeolla Province has now become a priority for the government, which has decided to bet heavily on tourism. The 2012 World Expo, which boasts a $1.9 billion budget and 106 attending countries is the perfect example of this new approach. More than 10 million visitors are expected to see the expo.
It took five years for the sparsely populated and heavily polluted industrial site to be developed into a tourist destination. A new high-speed railway now connects Yeosu to Seoul in 2h40. Additionally, the old sea route between the port city and Fukuoka in Japan was also revived for the expo.
Hopefully, this will be enough to bring in waves of tourists, who will then be able to enjoy a giant 6000 ton aquarium as well as a digital gallery with a 218 meter-long and 30 meter-high screen. But the main attraction is the Big-O where many large-scale events and performances will take place. "The event is meant to emphasize the importance of oceans to humanity, and the crisis that threatens them due to the overexploitation of resources and pollution," explains Kim Keun-soo, the expo's secretary general.
Visitors of the international event are also given the opportunity to discover the wealth of a region that does its best to enhance its natural and cultural heritage. From the site, you can access Odong Island, dubbed the "Island of Love," by foot. Entirely covered with wood, Odong is the gateway to the Hallyeohaesang national maritime park, and a very pleasant place for a walk.
From Odong, a shuttle boat takes you through some of the 365 islands that surround Yeosu, including Dolsan Island, where the Hyangiram (meaning "facing the sun") hermitage stands, in the shadows of the island’s camellias. It is one of four major Korean monasteries erected in honor of the Buddhist goddess of compassion. Perched on the heights of Mount Geumosan, the hermitage is difficult to reach but the view of the sea is unique. At the feet of the monastery, the village of fishermen and oyster farmers is also worth stopping by to get a taste of the local flavors --including mussels and sun-dried oysters.
Going up the coast, visitors will discover the tea plantations of Boesong, a city whose green tea is renowned throughout Korea. Grown on the hillsides, the fields merge into forests of cedars and paint a landscape of great elegance –even more beautiful on hazy days.
Finally, there is the Suncheon Bay ecological park. Caught between the Yeosu peninsula in the east and Goheung in the west, the marsh area –protected since 2006-- offers a rare ecosystem. Covered with reeds, it offers visitors an impressive variety of migratory birds, mostly hooded cranes, but also Chinese egrets or spoonbills.
Eager to capitalize on this treasure, Suncheon --which also houses the medieval and fortified village of Nagan--will host an exhibition on the gardens of the world from April to October 2013. This should serve to hearten those who are concerned about the waning of interest in the region, once the Yeosu Expo 2012 draws to a close.
Read more from Le Monde in French
Photo – Mercuries

Read the original article on LE MONDE.
All rights reserved ©Worldcrunch - in partnership with LE MONDE
Published on 2012-06-06 15:27:32

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