UK pledges support for Vietnam to achieve COP26 commitments

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha met with the British Cabinet Minister and President of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) Alok Kumar Sharma on February 14, to discuss priorities to implement the commitments made at COP26 and preparations for the next meeting.

Minister Ha, who is Vietnam’s Chief Negotiator for climate change, said at the meeting that the COP26 was a "great success” and triggered the world’s interest in climate change amid the ongoing fight against COVID-19.

Ha took note that many important decisions were made at COP26, including commitments by countries to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and limiting planetary temperature rise to a 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold by the end of this century, eliminating fossil fuels, among others.

The minister reaffirmed the important role of the UK and the COP26 President in the success of the conference. He said he highly appreciated the role of COP26 President Sharma in leading the climate change negotiation process throughout 2020 and 2021.

Sharing with Sharma about Vietnam’s implementation of the commitments, Ha said that immediately after the conference, the country established a National Steering Committee to implement the commitments made at COP26.

The committee, led by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh, set out key groups of tasks in areas such as policy reform, energy and industrial transformation, infrastructure construction, agriculture, forestry and land use, natural resources and environment, adaptation to climate change, innovation, capacity building, awareness-raising, and climate diplomacy, among others.

Regarding legal framework, Minister Ha said Vietnam has incorporated the implementation of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) into the Law on Environmental Protection in 2020. The government has also issued a Decree on mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and protection of the ozone layer. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued a Circular on the response to climate change and is developing an implementation plan to reduce methane emissions.

Illustration. (Photo: VNA)

The ministry is also finalising the National Strategy on Climate Change, including the target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Referring to specific climate change actions, Minister Ha said Vietnam has taken its commitment very seriously, reflected by developing the draft Power Master Plan VIII which promotes a step-by-step shift towards clean energy sources, forest protection, and recycling waste to protect the environment, among many others, he said.

Sharma highly spoke of Vietnam’s commitments at COP26, which will be a strong motivation for other countries to do the same.

He also welcomed the significant progress that Vietnam made at COP26, including approving the Glasgow Climate Pact, which keeps the goal of limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius alive.

He stressed that the UK is determined to work with Vietnam in achieving its commitments and agreed with Minister Ha that it is crucial to have a coordinating unit that helps the two sides reach a consensus in legal and financial matters for the fulfilment of the commitments and the success of the next UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27).

Minister Ha suggested the two sides establish a mechanism for information exchange between his ministry and the British Embassy in Vietnam, so they can receive updates from each other and coordinate better in future activities.

COP26 President Alok Sharma is on a visit to Vietnam from February 13 – 15 to reinforce the UK’s COP Presidency's aim to implement the landmark Glasgow Climate Pact, according to a statement released by the British Embassy in Hanoi.

The visit continues the work of Sharma to usher in new and updated climate commitments from all countries ahead of COP27 in Egypt, aligned with the crucial goal of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

During the visit, Sharma also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung./.