A milestone in the Republic of Korea’s climate and forest diplomacy


The Korea Forest Service (KFS), led by Minister PARK Eunsik, announced that the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) has been accredited as an Accredited Entity (AE) by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at its 44th Board Meeting.

GCF accreditation enables organizations to develop, finance, and implement climate projects. With this accreditation, AFoCO becomes the fourth Korean institution to achieve AE status?following the Korea Development Bank (KDB), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and SK Securities. This is expected to further expand climate cooperation across Asia and enhance AFoCO’s global standing.

Since its establishment in 2018 in the Republic of Korea, AFoCO has systematically implemented official development assistance (ODA) programmes following its inclusion on the *OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list in 2021. It has also built strong expertise in carbon-related projects through partnerships with global financial institutions and development partners, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the World Bank, and the European Union.
* The OECD DAC listing refers to the formal recognition of an international organization as eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA) funding.

The accreditation process involves rigorous assessments of financial management, project management capacity, environmental and social safeguards, gender policies, and governance. Successfully completing this process demonstrates that AFoCO possesses the institutional systems and implementation capacity required to advance international forest cooperation and climate action.

Building on this accreditation, AFoCO plans to expand the development of projects aligned with its member countries’ national climate policies, while scaling up initiatives that enhance forest-based carbon sinks and strengthen climate resilience.

PARK Eunsik, Minister of the Korea Forest Service, stated, “AFoCO’s accreditation by the GCF, an organization established under Korea’s leadership, represents a significant achievement in the Republic of Korea’s climate and forest diplomacy.” He added, “The Korea Forest Service will continue to work closely with AFoCO to lead global forest cooperation on climate action with its 15 member countries across ASEAN and Central Asia.”