On Thursday 22 December, CityNet CEO Jeong-kee Kim signed an MOU with Kookmin University Vice President (and General Director of its Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation) Oh Ha-ryoung to pledge to work together to provide technical support and training for government officials in the Asia Pacific region. Specifically, the two organizations will collaborate to foster carbon neutrality and localization of the Sustainable Development Goals in CityNet member cities in recognition of the need to hasten measures to achieve carbon neutral cities. In the meeting, CEO Kim praised Kookmin University’s recent opening of a Carbon Neutral Green Growth Research Centre, and proposed the creation of a network of carbon neutral green cities.
The MOU signing ceremony was attended by CityNet Operations Director Hyoshin Lee, Programs Director Youngmin Chang, and Program Officer Chris Di Gennaro. Kookmin University’s Director of the Carbon Neutral Green Growth Research Center, Distinguished Professor Byung-Woong Min was also in attendance along with Assistant Professor of Climate Change, Environmental Planning, & Geoinformatics Chul-Hee Lim and Research Professor Wonhee Cho of the Landscape Ecology Lab.
Preceding the MOU signing ceremony, CityNet and Kookmin University representatives held a meeting with Kookmin University President Dr. Hong Jae Yim.
Chris Di Gennaro is a Program Officer at CityNet, where he manages the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform, a joint project with UNESCAP and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Previously, he worked at ESCAP to organize an urban innovation themed startup competition. Chris holds a Master of Korean Studies from Yonsei University and a Bachelor of Psychology from Vassar College. He is keenly interested in the workings of cities and facilitating sustainable urban development.
