Members of the Vietnamese Delegation attending the meeting. Source: monre.gov.vn

On November 16th in Bönn (Germany), Dr.Vo Tuan Nhan – Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Leader of the Vietnamese Delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 23) – delivered a speech at the high-level meeting. Leader of the Vietnamese delegation Vo Tuan Nhan expressed his views on responding to climate change.

Climate change continues to have a strong impact

Like the previous COPs, Vietnam continues to assert at COP 23that climate change has been stronger than ever in the world. Many developed and developing countries have been severely affected. Extreme weather, typhoons, floods and droughts under the effects of climate change have increased economic and human losses, hindering our sustainable development.

“Those who have attended the APEC Summit Week recently have seen the devastation of Typhoon Damrey in Central Vietnam”, said Leader of the Vietnamese Delegation, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan.

He said that the world should take immediate action to protect people and socio-economic development from the dangers of climate change through strengthening adaptability and resilience alongside efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

3 views of Vietnam

To achieve that goal, Vietnam wants to emphasize three key issues.

First, the response to climate change in the period from now to 2020 is important to bridge the gap in greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve that goal, the Doha Amendment needs to come into effect immediately in order to build credibility and create momentum for actions in response to climate change under the Paris Convention and Agreement in the period after 2020.

Secondly, methods and guidelines are the most important to the Parties in order to fully implement the Paris Agreement and they should be addressed in a balanced, comprehensive, interconnected and mutually supportive manner for the main pillars of the Paris Agreement. At COP23, we need a clear vision of the methods and guidelines for implementing the Agreement which may be adopted at COP24 next year.

Thirdly, there should be rapid financial support, technology transfer and capacity building for developing countries to implement actions in response to climate change in order to ensure that the NDC is successfully transformed into reality.

Vietnam strengthens cooperation for the prosperity of the planet

Leader of the Vietnamese Delegation, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan said that as a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, Vietnam was implementing the action plan with a specific focus on the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the Paris Agreement with the participation of all stakeholders. Vietnam has also started the process of reviewing the NDC and it will be completed by 2019. At this COP, Vietnam has also submitted the second Bi-Annual Update Report.

Deputy Minister Vo Tuan Nhan said that as a country vulnerable to climate change, Vietnam has been making efforts to build adaptation and response capacity, especially in the areas sensitive with climate change. Last September, the Government of Vietnam organized an international conference to transform the sustainable development model in response to climate change in the Mekong Delta, one of the largest and most important rice growing areas in Southeast Asia.

The continued efforts of the Government of Vietnam, together with the contribution of the private sector and international assistance, will set a clear roadmap for responding to climate change in Viet Nam in the near future. Thereby, it will contribute to the overall global response efforts.

“Vietnam wants to promote more cooperation with the international community for the prosperity of people and our planet”, said Deputy Minister Vo Tuan Nhan.

Chu Thanh Huong

Originally posted by monre.gov.vn