Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Jennifer R. Littlejohn will travel to the Philippines and the Republic of Korea from July 7-13. The Acting Assistant Secretary will meet with senior Philippine government officials to underscore the U.S. commitment to addressing the climate crisis and to working with the Philippines to protect marine ecosystems. She will also discuss areas of future scientific and technological cooperation — including cooperation on space sustainability — and critical transboundary issues, including air quality and plastic pollution.
In the Republic of Korea, the Acting Assistant Secretary will attend meetings of the U.S.-Republic of Korea Environmental Affairs Council established under the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement. She will also meet with the Environmental Cooperation Commission established under the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Korea on Environmental Cooperation to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to cooperation on trade and environmental policy and plastic pollution. Acting Assistant Secretary Littlejohn will meet with senior government officials to discuss the next Our Ocean Conference, to be held in the Republic of Korea in April 2025. She will also tour government-funded research and development facilities working on aeronautics and space technologies, nuclear fusion energy, and quantum computing.
