Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam sees the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change as a basic and long-term way of fighting climate change, according to Tran Hong Ha, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).
At a seminar to gather consultancy on the country’s Paris agreement implementation plan held in Hanoi on September 1, Ha said the MoNRE has been assigned to work with ministries and relevant sectors to draw up the plan and submit it to the Government for consideration in October, 2016.
The draft plan has been completed with the assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), featuring key contents: determining emission mitigation activities in the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) and taking advantage of the chance to develop the country in the low-carbon way.
The others relate to defining responding activities in implementing the INDC, increasing the community’s resilience and protecting people’s livelihood, and preparing human, technological and financial resources to realise contributions and obligations regulated by the Paris agreement.
The plan also looks to establish and operate a transparent and public system of measurement, reporting and verification to monitor and assess adaptation, mitigation and resources according to regulations of the Paris agreement and perfect institutions, policies and create a favourable environment and focus national efforts responding to climate change.
It aims to boost coordination to handle inter-regional and inter-sector issues and attract private resources and international assistance.
“The implementation of the Paris agreement is the responsibility of the State, enterprises, scientific community, intelligentsia, and all people in working together with the international community to respond to global climate change, protecting the Earth for sustainable development for both current and future generations,” Ha said.
Haoliang Xu, Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific at the UNDP, said energy and forestry are the key sectors that Vietnam is implementing mitigation goals in the INDC, affirming that the participation and contribution of domestic and foreign enterprises are very important in achieving set goals in the Paris Agreement.
The private sector can contribute to reducing cost for research and development via the application of advanced technology changed to suit Vietnam’s specific conditions and helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions, take advantage of renewable energy and environmental protection, he said.
Martin Hoppe from the Germany Embassy in Vietnam said in the past years, Vietnam has made significant efforts in responding to climate change and it is time to accelerate commitments on mitigation and adaptation.
Germany is ready to help Vietnam in pursuing the INDC, he said.-VNA