16th IGC Korea

René FREYTAG leads the IKI Interface Programme in the Philippines, supporting national partners in implementing the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). His work focuses on climate finance, just energy transition, low-carbon transport, and fostering whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches. He works closely with government agencies, civil society, and international partners to advance implementation at both national and subnational levels.

He previously advised the European Commission’s flagship G20 Climate Diplomacy Programme: Strategic Partnerships for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement, where he led bilateral cooperation with South Africa, Indonesia, China, India, and South Korea - supporting policy development on just transition, renewable energy, sustainable finance, and long-term climate strategies.

He served as a negotiator on the German delegation to the UNFCCC, representing the EU in negotiations on climate technology and capacity building. Earlier in his career, he held advisory roles with UNEP, UNESCO, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), helping align national priorities with international cooperation frameworks.

René brings a global perspective shaped by work across Asia, Africa, and Europe, with practical experience translating policy into action.

He is the First Secretary (Political) at the Singapore Embassy in Seoul. Besides bilateral relations, his current portfolio includes a coverage of internal and external politics, regional developments, climate issues, and related economic and security issues. He also leads matters related to public diplomacy at the Embassy. As the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Seoul is concurrently accredited to Mongolia, he also covers similar issues relating to Mongolia, from Seoul.
This is his second year in Seoul after taking up post in 2023.

She is Senior Research Advisor to IGES, Secretary General of the International Research Network for Leveraging a Climate-neutral Society (LCS-RNet) and Honorary Researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies.

Since 1990, she has developed the Asia-Pacific Integrated Model (AIM) with researchers in Asia.

She is a lead author of the IPCC Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports and the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC.

Her awards include the Nikkei Global Environmental Technology Award (1994), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Integrated Assessment Modelling Consortium (IAMC) (2022) and the Earth Hall of Fame KYOTO (2024).

She received her Ph.D. in engineering from Kyoto University.

He is the Head of Climate and Energy at the British Embassy Seoul.

A career government official, he has held roles within the UK Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

He is a graduate of the University of York (BA History), King’s College London (MA History) and the London School of Economics (PG Dip Finance).

Affiliated to the European External Action Service (EEAS), he is serving as a Policy Officer for Climate and Environment at the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the Republic of Korea, responsible for bilateral cooperation and policy exchange between the EU and the Republic of Korea on climate, environment and energy. Moreover, he is involved in the implementation of the EU-Korea Green Partnership, which was launched in May 2023, as a comprehensive cooperation framework on climate and environment between the EU and Korea. Before joining the EU Delegation, he was involved in international cooperation on climate, environment and water, as well as the EU-Korea science and technology cooperation during his years at Korea Water Resources Corporation, Korea-EU Research Cooperation Center and National Research Foundation of Korea. He holds a master degree in international studies (European Union studies) from Leiden University in the Netherlands, a bachelor in international relations from Syracuse University, the United States.

- 2050 Carbon Neutrality Committee
  (2021 ~ 2022)
- Climate Change Strategy Division,
  Ministry of Environment (2024 ~ )

He got Ph.D. in environmental economics from University of California at Berkeley in 1995, is a professor on environmental economics at Sookmyung Women’s University since 2016. Before moving to Sookmyung Women’s University, he has been the President of Greenhouse Gas Inventory & Research Center of Korea, the principal national agency in management of national and entity level GHG inventories and setting national, sectoral and entity-level greenhouse gas reduction targets and designing and implementation of K-ETS.

He works on the effects of K-ETS and assessment of GHGs emission reductions in Korea.

He is Executive Director of the Sustainable Management Institution at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). He has experience in environmental policy, and corporate sustainability. He currently serves as a member of several national committees, including those advising the Korean government on carbon neutrality, renewable energy, and industrial transformation. His work focuses on aligning national policy, corporate strategy, and global sustainability standards.

He has worked on green transition, ESG strategies, and public-private cooperation for climate innovation.

He is a distinguished climate and energy specialist with extensive experience in hydrogen fuel cell R&D, carbon neutrality policy, and youth climate leadership. He currently serves as Co- Representative of BigWave, Korea’s leading youth climate action group, and as Manager at Hyundai Motor Company’s Electrification Energy Solution Process Technology Development Team, where he oversees advanced R&D on MEA processes for hydrogen fuel cells in mobility applications. His research interests include climate policy, hydrogen mobility, and youth engagement in climate governance.

His expertise spans the development and implementation of national carbon neutrality and green growth strategies. He has played a pivotal role in Korea’s Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Implementation Monitoring Team, evaluating national GHG reduction performance and policy progress. His international engagement includes participating in policy study tours with the Asia Society and Korea Foundation, facilitating dialogue with EU and US energy and transport policymakers, and organizing workshops for Korean youth on global decarbonization trends. His dedication was acknowledged with the Prime Minister’s Commendation for Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Merit in 2024.

She is currently a senior researcher at Greenhouse Gas Inventory & Research Center of Korea, GIR, having joined the GIR when it was founded in 2010. As the team manager, she played a pivotal role in developing Korea’s 2020 national greenhouse gas reduction target, the national reduction roadmap, the intended nationally determined contribution (2030 national greenhouse gas reduction target), and the 2050 LEDS.
She also contributed to the design of Korea’s emissions trading system cap setting and the system for monitoring the status of GHG reduction implementation. Currently, she is actively involved in the establishment of Korea’s 35 NDC.
She began her doctoral studies in 1995 and has conducted various projects using the AIM model. After earning her Ph.D. in 2001, she joined the climate policy team at IGES in Japan, where she gained extensive experience in the global climate system and conducted a project using the Leap model.
Since joining GIR, she has been leading greenhouse gas mitigation policy support projects utilizing bottom-up reduction models such as the message model and overseeing the implementation of greenhouse gas reduction measures.
She holds her master’s degree in environmental ecology planning at Seoul National University and received her Ph.D. in environmental resources from SangMyung University.

He is the Managing Director of The Change Initiative, a facilitation company located in Bangkok and the Chief Navigator (Executive Director) of the Asia-Pacific Futures Network – the largest informal network of futurists in the region. In the last 20 years he has advised and facilitated more than SDG-related workshops and conferences worldwide for organizations such as the United Nations, Asian Development Bank, The German Development Cooperation (GIZ), the World Bank, USAID, but also various governments, NGOs and the private sector onsite and remotely. A lot of his work is with organizations related to climate change and many related topics.

He is a Certified Professional Facilitator - Master by the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) and a full member of the Association of Professional Futurists (APF).

Prior to working as a facilitator and futurist, he worked for the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in New Delhi and the German Embassy in Bangkok.

He has over five years of experience in climate change policy and reporting in Rwanda. Since 2019, he has been working with the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) in the Climate Change and International Obligations Department. He began as a Climate Change Data Officer and later served as the Climate Data and Chemicals Management Information System Officer. His work has focused on the preparation of Rwanda’s National Communications and Biennial Update Reports to the UNFCCC, as well as the collection, processing, and updating of climate change related data. Since July 2022, he has been leading the coordination of Rwanda’s national greenhouse gas inventory development, serving as the Greenhouse gas inventory officer.

He is a GIS and Remote Sensing Specialist and Forest Carbon Expert with the Zimbabwe Forestry Commission, bringing over five years of experience in forest monitoring, forest carbon accounting, and geospatial analysis. His work is key in Zimbabwe’s REDD+ MRV, satellite-based forest monitoring, and land cover mapping, and has processed data from nearly 100 permanent sample plots. For the first time, he played an important role in Zimbabwe’s BTR data collection for the LULUCF sector. He holds a Diploma in GHG Accounting from the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute, a BSc in GIS and Remote Sensing from the University of Zimbabwe. He recently completed a certificate in Tropical Forest Landscapes from Yale School of the Environment. His expertise spans tools such as Google Earth Engine, SEPAL, Collect Earth, Earth Map among other tools. He has a strong commitment to advancing transparency and climate resilience through sustainable land management

He is a Licensed Environmental and Sanitary Engineer with specialized expertise in water and wastewater treatment design, as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions calculations. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental and Sanitary Engineering from the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City. Currently, he serves as a Development Management Officer II within the Implementation Oversight Division of the Climate Change Commission (CCC), where he focuses primarily on GHG emissions quantification and reporting.

As a key member of the Mitigation Team, he provides technical assistance to local government units in developing their Community-level GHG Inventories, ensuring accurate and reliable data to support climate action planning. Additionally, he acts as the technical focal person for the CCC on GHG emissions related to the Waste and Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU) sectors at the national level. He also plays a vital role in supporting the Climate Change Expenditure Tagging Helpdesk, facilitating the tagging of climate-related expenditures in national government agencies’ budget proposals and the Annual Investment Plans of local government units. His work significantly contributes to enhancing transparency, accountability, and effectiveness in the Philippines’ climate change mitigation efforts.

He is a climate and transport policy expert working at the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure for 8 years. His work focuses on greenhouse gas emission inventory, sustainable mobility and the integration of climate goals into national transport planning. He has been actively involved in international climate negotiations and policy dialogues, including the development of Türkiye’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs).

She is a dedicated climate action professional specializing in advancing national initiatives and aligning them with international commitments. She oversees the National Climate Change Data Sharing Network, ensuring efficient database management, fostering inter-agency collaboration, and facilitating timely access to critical climate data. Nithini also leads the development of robust Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems to track and report on climate progress effectively.

As the coordinator of the Partnership for Market Implementation (PMI) Program, she develops market-based strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring timely reporting to the UNFCCC. She actively contributes to organizing and preparing for COP meetings, supporting the implementation of key decisions. She plays a pivotal role in aligning the fisheries sector with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets, monitoring progress, and preparing comprehensive reports.

Her work demonstrates a commitment to fostering collaboration, improving systems, and driving progress toward national and global climate goals.

She is an agricultural engineer with a background in microbiology and urban forestry. She lives in General San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has always been interested in environmental applications of agricultural sciences. She is part of the inventory team since 2022 and participated in the last two NGHGI of the Argentine Republic. She is currently responsible for the development of the Agriculture sector, as well as the compilation of the inventory and coordination of the NIR.