Soon Heung Chang is a man on a mission.
As President of Handong Global University in Korea, he is in Samoa to create a partnership between his University and the National University of Samoa while attending the 2014 United Nations Academic Impact – Handong Global University Samoa Forum at Tanoa Tusitala Hotel.
The two-day meeting was officially opened by United Nations Secretary General, Tupua Ban Ki-moon.
The Forum’s theme is; “Capacity building in higher education, energy, water, and climate change mitigation and adaption for achieving sustainable development in the Small Island Developing States”.
Handong Global University is privately operated. It is located in Pohang, North Gyeongsang province in South Korea.
It strives to be a “World –Changing Global Leadership University” with 3500 students from 62 countries.
Speaking to the Samoa Observer yesterday, Mr. Chang said he wants to work with the N.U.S to promote sustainable development of Samoa through research, specifically in the areas of energy and climate change.
“I have attended too many of these meetings where there is a lot of talk and no N.A.T.O.,” he said.
Asked what N.A.T.O. means, he said: “No action, talk only”.
“I want action and that is to build a collaboration between the National University (N.U.S.) and Handong University.
“This would be Handong University’s capacity building outreach to the National University of Samoa.
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Mr. Chang is leading a delegation of nine. They will be making presentations at the Forum specifically on various issues including; New
Global Education and Entrepreneurship for Development: Activities of Academic Impact Korea for UNAI, Energy and Water Independency through Innovative Energy System for Small Island Developing States, Renewable and Green Technology and other subjects.
“One action is better than hundred discussions,” he said.
He also plans to speak about the Green Climate Fund for Climate change mitigation and adaptation. This is one of the issues that will be widely discussed in the forum as part of its theme.
“I would like to help Samoa to have a good strategy to get financing for GCF,” said Mr Chang.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was established to make significant and ambitious contributions to the global efforts towards attaining the goals set by the international community to combat climate change.
Set up by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) its objective is to raise $100 billion per year in climate financing by 2020.
“I hope our forum is a starting point [for] sustainable relationship with Samoa because Handong likes to contribute to this purpose…”
He also strongly believes that it “would be the best practice for climate change and mitigation and adaptation for Samoa using GCF”.
Handong Global University has Memorandum of Understanding with other Universities in other countries. This is their first time in Samoa.
“This is the starting point of cooperation with a Pacific Island,” he said.
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