Overview of the forum (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Forum 2018 opened on November 9, drawing nearly 500 delegates, made up of former and incumbent state leaders, heads of business groups and international organisations, as well as domestic and foreign scholars and scientists.
Themed “Towards Sustainable Development – Climate Change Response for Sustainability and Security”, the two-day forum is one of the National University of Hanoi’s (VNU) initiatives, aiming to contribute to global efforts in implementing sustainable development goals through sci-tech research and academic exchange.
The function – held with the support of the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Foundation for Advanced Studies, SK Group, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology – encourages intersectoral research to enhance the efficiency of activities responding to climate change, especially in Asia-Pacific region.
Addressing the opening ceremony, VNU President Nguyen Kim Son said that sustainable development goals can only be reached with the synergy of all relevant parties, including governments, international organisations, universities, businesses, and society.
He said that the engagement of all bodies will help shorten the path towards achieving set goals without leaving anyone behind.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Former Prime Minister and former Director-General of the UN Development Programme Helen Elizabeth Clark shared a number of response measures to climate change in a humanitarian manner with harmony between international and local solutions.
Vice Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Youba Sokona delivered a report on global and national connectivity and unity in strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as the role of climate change response towards sustainable growth.
Vice President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Stephen P. Groff reviewed environmental pollution hotspots and orientations in smart city development.
On November 10, five professional sub-committees of the forum will discuss key issues, including evidence of climate change and security; human influence in climate change; the response to climate change; policy and governance in climate change response and sustainable growth; and science, technology, and education on climate change response and sustainable growth.
The forum will also hold two policy dialogues on the sustainable development of resilient cities in the Red River and Mekong River Deltas.–VNA
