A meeting of the Vietnam National Assembly (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA)– Representatives from parliaments of 20 International Parliamentary Union(IPU) member nations and international organisations will gather at aconference themed “Climate change and actions of legislators” slated for May11-13 in Ho Chi Minh City.
The event, organisedby the IPU and the Vietnam National Assembly, is a step towards concretisingagreements reached at the 132nd Assembly of the IPU held in Hanoi inMarch 2015 and turning commitments made by legislators into actions,contributing to realising sustainable development goals (SDGs).
It will serve as aforum for parliamentarians in Asia-Pacific, donors and international organisationsto share experience and promote cooperation in implementing the UN FrameworkConvention on Climate Change.
Topics to beraised on the agenda include SDGs and parliaments’ role; gender equalitypromotion and health improvement in the context of climate change; and actionstaken by regional countries against climate change.
The participantswill also discuss international commitments and requirements for legislators aswell as the mobilisation of resources to achieve SDGs.
The conferencedemonstrates Vietnam’s commitment to the IPU, especially with the Vietnamese NAhaving been elected as a member of the IPU Executive Committee for the2016-2019 term.
It is expected tohelp raise the position played of the Vietnamese parliament in the region andthe world while improving awareness of agencies, localities and public about climatechange and its impacts.
The event alsoaims to call for efforts to cope with climate change in Asia-Pacific and the world.
Vietnam is one ofthe countries most at risk by climate change, with the Mekong Delta one ofthree deltas worldwide vulnerable to sea-level rise.
According toclimate change scenarios, by the end of the 21st century, about 40percent of the Mekong Delta, 11 percent of the Red River Delta and 3 percent ofother coastal provinces will be submerged by sea water.
Ho Chi Minh City,the southern economic hub, is forecast to lose more than 20 percent of its areato the sea.
About 10-12percent of the country’s population will suffer direct impacts from climatechange and about 10 percent of national GDP will be lost.
Climate change hasalready impacted Vietnam as it hinders the country’s efforts to reduce povertyand obtain millennium development goals as well as sustainable development.
Against thisbackdrop, Vietnamese agencies and localities have taken the initiative totackle climate change.
The country joinedthe UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. Also, Vietnam,together with 175 countries worldwide, inked the Paris Agreement in New York onApril 22, 2016 and approved the document at the end of October the same year.
Additionally,Vietnam has carried out various activities, including an action plan to realisethe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.-VNA
