Ambassador Kim, Chanwoo : Expert in Climate Change & Environmental Diplomacy

Ambassador Kim Chanwoo is a distinguished career diplomat and a leading authority on global environmental policy. He currently serves as an Honorary Professor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and a Visiting Professor at Gyeongsang National University. His illustrious career includes serving as the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Brazil, the Ambassador for Climate Change, the Representative for Arctic Cooperation, and the Ambassador to Kenya.

Since 1998, Ambassador Kim has been at the forefront of South Korea's environmental diplomacy. He played a pivotal role in the Post-2012 climate negotiations, the follow-up negotiations for the Paris Agreement, and the Nagoya Protocol. His leadership extends to international forums, having served as the Acting President of the Ramsar Convention COP10 in Changwon, Chairman of the Ramsar Standing Committee, and Chair of the founding meeting of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in Busan. During his tenure in Kenya, he also chaired the Committee of Permanent Representatives to UNEP and UN-Habitat in Nairobi.

In recognition of his outstanding service, he was awarded the Order of Service Merit (Yellow Stripes) by the Korean government. He has also received the Order of Southern Cross and the Order of Merit for Labour (Getúlio Vargas) from the Brazilian government. He is the author of several influential books, including 21st Century Environmental Diplomacy, Post-2012 Climate Change Negotiations, and Korea’s Environmental Diplomacy through Case Studies.

Ambassador Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He completed the Foreign Service Programme at the University of Oxford and earned his Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Politics from the University of Cambridge.