A workshop held in Hanoi on May 9 highlighted the need to adjust the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change (SP-RCC) to better suit the current situation.

Young people plan trees in response to the Earth Hour campaign at the Lap Vo
2 High School in Cao Lanh district, Dong Thap province

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh said that Vietnam has ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change and the implementation plan for this agreement, as well as transitioned into a middle-income country. Therefore, the SP-RCC needs to be adjusted.

Through the consultations, ministries, sectors, and development partners shared the view that the SP-RCC needs to be closely associated with the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of Vietnam.

They agreed that the broader participation of localities, businesses, and development partners is necessary to assist the country in coping with climate change, Thanh noted.

Last December, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MoNRE) to coordinate with relevant agencies to consider a suitable replacement for the SP-RCC and seek ways to improve the mobilisation of official development assistance capital for this programme.

Yasuhiro Kasuya, a senior advisor at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), affirmed that his organisation will continue supporting Vietnam to carry out the SP-RCC, especially in terms of building a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

He also asked the Government, including the MoNRE and relevant sectors, to expand its role in coordinating and sharing information about greenhouse gas emission reduction. It is also necessary to clarify the responsibility of ministries, sectors, and localities in implementing the national strategies on climate change and green growth.

Regarding the building of a support programme for the NDC implementation plan, Deputy Director of the MoNRE’s Climate Change Department Pham Van Tan pointed out the need to learn from the SP-RCC’s experiences and further involve development partners, ministries, sectors, and localities.

He said the NDC implementation plan will facilitate information sharing and coordination in works related to the Paris Agreement among relevant sides in Vietnam, as well as between them and development partners.