Delegates gather for a group photo at the workshop

The forum brought together more than 200 delegates from central agencies, business communities, investors, financial institutions and press agencies to attend offline and more than 100 domestic and foreign delegates to attend online.

Continuing renewed global commitments to the Paris Agreement at COP28 held in Dubai in 2023, along with Vietnam's progressive efforts in implementing the Paris Agreement by introducing and implementing important legal frameworks, this business forum updated information on current greenhouse gas emission reduction policies and practical experiences of businesses towards net-zero goals and discussed specific opportunities to support the green transition in Vietnam.

At the workshop, a series of presentations by speakers and business representatives showed the Vietnamese Government's continuous efforts to create a more favorable policy environment, with further updated regulations guiding the reduction greenhouse gas emissions as well as the dynamic international landscape and future prospects and showed the efforts of the business sector in reducing greenhouse gas emissions with specific typical examples.

The first discussion session, attended by leading Vietnamese business leaders, clearly showed the role and concrete evidence of the continuous efforts of the entire business community in Vietnam, including decarbonization management, newly adopted practices and technologies as well as the progress achieved to date. The follow-on session, moderated by Mr. Fukuda Koji, Chief Advisor of JICA SPI-NDC Project, also emphasized the role and effort of financial institutions to expand green investment portfolios and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for capital investments/financing, both globally and domestically, as well as their strategic approach to achieving sustainability and transformational finance in Vietnam. Moreover, the speakers also discussed and presented practical challenges and a roadmap towards a better policy environment to facilitate further business and investing activities.

During the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Tien Huy, Director of the Business Office for Sustainable Development at VCCI, emphasized that transitioning to a sustainable business model is no longer a mere trend but a critical imperative for businesses. It is essential for enhancing competitiveness, resilience, and adaptability in the face of international economic integration. These efforts align with sustainable environmental, social, and corporate governance principles. As part of its upcoming priorities, VBCSD-VCCI aims to establish and operate working groups focused on Green Transformation, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), and Green Finance. These initiatives will further amplify sustainable business models and contribute valuable policy recommendations to strengthen the legal framework supporting sustainable business development.

Expressing his impression with practical efforts of business and financial organizations shared at the forum, Mr. Naoki Ikenoya, Representative of JICA Vietnam Office, affirmed that JICA will continue to cooperate closely with the Government as well as the private sector to increase effectiveness in supporting green transition in Vietnam.

The forum concluded successfully with a reaffirmation of strategic values of climate action as a source of national competitiveness in emerging green industries as well as a solution for ensuring energy security on the transitioning path to net zero emissions in Vietnam.