As many as 100 climate change negotiators from ASEAN member countries gathered at a seminar in Hanoi on October 2 to improve their negotiating capacity so as a new agreement on the issue would be reached globally by 2015.

Tran Thi Minh Ha, Director General of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said enhancing the capacity for climate change negotiators is a priority of Vietnam.

Clair Etches, a representative of the British Embassy in Vietnam noted the seminar will allow Vietnam and other ASEAN member countries to succeed in international negotiations on climate change.

Bakhodir Burkhanov, UNDP Deputy Country Director in Vietnam, affirmed its commitment to support the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reach a joint agreement in 2015.

The participating negotiators learnt about international policies on climate, as well as the UNFCCC’s negotiation strategies.

They also discussed issues related to the 19th UNFCCC meeting and ways to reach the new joint agreement on climate change in 2015.

The seminar was co-organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the British Embassy in Vietnam.-VNA