The three-day event isco-organised by IPU and Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA).
The opening ceremony wasattended by Chairwoman of the Vietnamese NA Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, IPU PresidentSaber Chowdhury, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong, Speaker of Myanmar’sHouse of Nationalities (Upper House) and Parliament Mahn Win Khaing Than,Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives Alvarez Pantelon, Presidentof Timor-Leste’s National Parliament Aderito Hugo Da Costa and SecretaryGeneral of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Isra Sunthornvut.
In her opening speech, Chairwoman Nguyen Thi KimNgan said like other Asia-Pacific countries, especially coastal and islandnations, Vietnam is seriously hit by climate change.
She cited Vietnam’s climate change scenarioswhich projected that by the end of the 21st century, sea water will submerge about40 percent of the Mekong Delta, 11 percent of the Red River Delta and 3 percentof other coastal provinces. HCM City, the country’s huge economic hub, isforecast to have more than 20 percent of its area flooded by sea water.
As such, about 10-12 percent of Vietnamesepopulation will bear the direct impacts from climate change and about 10 percentof national GDP will be lost, the chief legislator said.
Therefore, the Vietnamese NA has reachedconsensus with the IPU on the agenda of the seminar, focusing on the SDGs, particularlythose on gender equality and healthcare in the context of climate changeresponse; challenges, opportunities and actions against climate change;international commitments and the role played by legislative bodies; and themobilisation of resources to achieve SDGs in general and respond to climatechange in particular.
IPU President Saber Chowdhury hailed thepresence of many senior officials in the region at the seminar.
He stressed that parliamentsplay an important role in realising the SDGs, while climate change is a globalissue that could affect the world’s development, and is related to all 17 SDGs.If the goal on coping with climate change is not achieved, all the remaininggoals will suffer, he said.
According to Chowdhury, as 80 percent of naturaldisasters are caused by climate change, the key in responding to climate changeis to cope with natural disasters. He noted that 88 percent of those who areaffected by natural disasters in the world are in Asia-Pacific, therefore, itis necessary to put forth more dynamic strategies for women, children and humankindto fight natural disasters.
The IPU President said there are five pillarsfor the fulfillment of SDGs, which are human; peace; prosperity; connectivitybetween Governments, Parliaments and within Parliaments; economic developmentand productivity on the basis of social resources.
He expressed the hope thatthe seminar will give out strong signals about the Asia-Pacific region’scommitment to the SDGs.
Secretary of the HCM CityPeople’s Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan said the presence of Parliament leadersand legislators at the event reflects the significance of environmentalprotection to all nations.
The event offers an opportunity for HCM City toextend its cooperation with countries which are also facing climate changeissue, the official added.
Following the opening session, the first plenarysession was held with discussions focusing on SDGs and the role of parliamentsin realising those goals.
Within the framework of the event, a trip to CanGio district in HCM City will be arranged for delegates as a case study for aneconomic model adaptive to climate change.
On this occasion, the Vietnam NA will coordinatewith the IPU to announce a toolkit to help Parliaments assess their performancein SDGs achievement. -VNA
