Vietnam’s national climate change strategy is one of the key policy instruments to deliver the net-zero emission target by 2050 and to build community resilience, said Caitlin Wiesen, the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative in Vietnam.

Caitlin Wiesen made her statement at a consultation workshop jointly held by Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), UNDP and German Development Cooperation GIZ in Hanoi on April 26 to seek ideas on the draft national climate change strategy for 2050, with a vision to 2100.

“I would like to congratulate the Vietnamese Government for immediate actions taken since COP26, including the establishment of a new National Committee for the implementation of Vietnam’s climate commitments,” Caitlin Wiesen said.

An overview of the consultation workshop. Photo: Anh Kiet

She added that UNDP is pleased to partner with GIZ for the last two years to provide technical assistance to the Vietnamese Government for the draft strategy. It highlights that Vietnam is ready for a stronger and more systematic shift toward transformational adaptation programming, gradually introducing a transparent system to monitor climate impact and adaptation progress. 

“UNDP looks forward to working with the Vietnamese Government and all partners to execute the strategy where bringing best benefits of these national efforts and international cooperation for a net-zero future by 2050 where no one is left behind,” Caitlin Wiesen stressed.

For his part, Weert Börner, chargé d'affaires of the German Embassy in Hanoi said that Vietnam’s draft national strategy on climate change will make an important contribution to the national discussions on net-zero emissions.

“With the completion of the net-zero national climate change strategy just five months after COP26, the Vietnamese Government keeps sending a strong message for climate ambition. On behalf of the German Government, I want to express my acknowledgment of this huge engagement and commitment. And please be assured of Germany’s continuous support when it comes to translating this strategy into action,” the chargé d'affaires affirmed.

Making a speech at the event, MoNRE Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh said that the strategy clarifies a roadmap to realize Vietnam’s commitments at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), as well as solutions to reach the target of bringing net emissions to zero by 2050.

“As a country hard hit by climate change, Vietnam is accelerating the implementation of international commitments on climate change. We submitted the nationally determined contribution in 2015 and updated it in 2020, incorporated greenhouse gas emission reduction in the environmental protection law,” Thanh said.

MoNRE Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh speaks at the event. Photo: UNDP

The deputy minister expressed his hope that international organizations and development partners will keep supporting Vietnam during the implementation of the strategy, the nationally determined contribution as well as solutions to realize the country’s commitments at COP26.

Vietnam’s draft national strategy on climate change until 2050 aims to strengthen the country's capacity to adapt to climate change, reduce its vulnerability and losses caused by climate change, and achieve the target of net-zero emissions.

Besides, the strategy is aimed at making full use of opportunities to speed up the transformation of the growth model, enhance the resilience and competitiveness of the economy, and make positive and responsible contributions to international efforts in protecting the global climate.

Sirpa Jarvenpaa, a Thailand director of Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP), shared with The Hanoi Times that Vietnam's strategy should establish strong and transparent planning for a green transition process, maximize positive socio-economic impacts and introduce key safeguard measures to protect local communities and natural resources from any adverse effects while moving towards the net-zero target. 

“We appreciate the strong wording that was used when referring to climate change as the biggest challenge for humanity and calling for its highest priority in all development decisions. Vietnam's national climate change strategy shows that the objective of climate neutrality in the country is highly ambitious and challenging, but feasible,” Sirpa Jarvenpaa said.

“We also strongly encourage Vietnam to set up an inclusive and participatory process towards net-zero emissions by 2050, and to listen to the voices of both national and international experts,” the ETP director added.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made an impassioned plea for fairness and justice in climate change issues and for all nations to further cut greenhouse gas emissions at the opening ceremony of the COP26 in Glasgow, the UK in November 2021.

Chinh said although Vietnam is a developing country that has begun industrializing over the past three decades, it will conduct stronger measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with its own resources and with international support both in terms of finance and technology transfer.

With the commitments, Vietnam joined nearly 90 countries in a US- and EU-led effort to slash emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane by 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels, a pact aimed at tackling one of the main causes of climate change.