Vietnam an active, responsible country in climate change fight: Pham Van Tan, Deputy Director of the MoNRE’s Department of Climate Change and Deputy Head of the Vietnamese delegation to COP27. (Photo: VNA)

Pham Van Tan, Deputy Director of the MoNRE’s Department of Climate Change, Deputy Head of the Vietnamese delegation to COP27, made the remark while talking to the Vietnamese media on the sidelines of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh city, Egypt.

Amid a global energy crisis and economic downturn after the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have been unable to realise their commitments made at COP26 in Galsgow last year. In that context, Vietnam has emerged as an active country with many works implemented, according to the deputy head of the Vietnamese delegation to COP27.

He elaborated that thanks to drastic moves by the Government and the entire political system, Vietnam has set up a steering committee for implementing the COP26 commitments, adopted a national strategy on climate change, updated the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) report, approved a plan for methane emission reduction, and detailed targets and tasks for realising climate change-related commitments. In the 2022 NDCs, Vietnam raised its commitment level in line with the roadmap for bringing net emissions down to zero by 2050.

Many international partners, especially the UK, the US, the EU, and the G7, shared the view that Vietnam has quickly carried out measures and plans to translate commitments into actions, he noted, adding that the country was invited to attend and talk about what have been done so far. Minister Tran Hong Ha engaged in many working sessions with international organisations and financial institutions to highlight Vietnam’s efforts and cooperation chances.

At some major events within the COP27 framework, the Vietnamese side affirmed that its Government has made plans and approved a strategy for implementing the COP26 commitments. It also emphasised that how far the country can make progress in realising its commitments depends on other countries’ commitment implementation and the international community’s assistance for Vietnam, according to Tan.

The biggest result of Vietnam at this conference is that it demonstrated itself as an active, proactive, and responsible country in the realisation of international commitments, he went on, noting that low-carbon development, net zero emissions by 2050, and climate change adaptation form a path that it is consistently following so as to both develop sustainably and contributing to the global climate change fight.

However, the official also pointed out that to carry out climate commitments, the country needs to exert utmost efforts and mobilise domestic resources and assistance from the international community.