Vietnam has urged countries to accelerate negotiations to reach comprehensive agreements to deal with climate change, which is the cause behind the increase in natural disasters around the world.

The Vietnamese delegation made the call when addressing the opening ceremony of the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference now underway in Poland’s capital city of Warsaw.

The delegation expressed thanks to governments and international organisations for their support to those affected by recent super typhoon Haiyan and said that Vietnam, as a neighbouring country the Philippines – the nation hit most by the typhoon - was doing all it could to alleviate the aftermath of the disaster.

Vietnam also attended several seminars at the event to exchange experience in coping with climate change, while coordinating with Japan to organise talks on activities related to the Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM), a Japan’s initiative aimed at facilitating the diffusion of advanced low carbon technologies, products, systems, services and infrastructures, as well as on the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMAS – a set of policies and actions that countries undertake as part of their commitment to reducing green house gas emission).

During the first week of the conference, a host of key meetings took place, such as the Conference of Parties to the UN Frame Convention on Climate Change (COP19), the 39 th session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 39) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 39.

Involved parties stressed the vast devastation typhoon Haiyan caused to countries including the Philippines and Vietnam, and spent time discussing financial means to support commitments made to reducing greenhouse gases and boosting clean development and technology transfers.

Representative from Africa and the European Union proposed a global climate change adaptation target and a concrete timeframe to implement the new agreement.-VNA