Việt Nam pledges responsible contributions to climate change response

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính attended the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit via videoconference yesterday, at the invitation of President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in.

Addressing the Leaders’ Dialogue yesterday evening, PM Chính said: “Việt Nam will certainly not pursue pure economic growth at the expense of social progress and equality. We're committed to protecting the environment for the people."

The world is witnessing compounding effects at an unprecedented scale and scope arising from three major catastrophes, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and natural resource depletion, not to mention ageing populations in many countries.

These challenges have left dire and multi-dimensional consequences not only for today but also for future generations. However, the pandemic and those challenges and hardships have shown the importance of environmental protection and harmony between humans and nature, and created momentum to push our advancement and capability, he said.

"The green recovery, green economy and circular economy must be vigorously pursued at the national, regional and global levels.

"Under the general framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, we need to answer the way of thinking methodology, develop a practical approach and shift from passive response to a harmonious method with the effective combination of active response and transition towards the green economy," the PM said.

It is essential to enhance adaptability for the region hit by climate change, including the Mekong sub-region and Việt Nam's Mekong Delta, he added.

“Preventing and coping with the COVID-19 pandemic successfully are the most urgent for growth to bounce back. The efforts of each country are of paramount importance, but effective international co-operation is indispensable," he said.

“We need to uphold the spirit of unity, responsibility and mutual respect among countries in the common interests of humanity given the current situation. We must sustain a favourable international environment and continue to promote peace, stability and co-operation for development. This will benefit our economic recovery and international co-operation.

"Việt Nam is determined to pursue its dual goals despite numerous challenges, which means coping with the pandemic effectively while fostering fast and sustainable socio-economic recovery and development," the PM said.

Speaking on behalf of the P4G’s host country this year, President Moon said carbon neutrality should be turned into an opportunity to nurture new industries and create jobs, winning the support of people from all walks of life and motivating businesses to develop technologies and make investment voluntarily. The RoK is committed to pushing for the green new deal with a plan to make a financial investment by 2025 to the tune of $65 billion.

Driving private sector participation and supporting innovation initiatives will be the focus of the RoK’s policies. The RoK has launched a project to build the world's largest offshore wind power complex with 8.2 gigawatt capacity and participating residents are given an equity stake in the project, he said.

Under the theme 'Carbon Neutrality through Inclusive Green Recovery’, 15 participating leaders provided their views on inclusive green recovery from COVID-19, the efforts of the international community to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050 and work to strengthen climate action and facilitate public-private partnerships.

At the end of the dialogue, the leaders adopted the Seoul Declaration which reflects collective resolve to fight the climate crisis.

Việt Nam is one of the seven founding members of P4G and has taken various actions to show its determination to work with member countries to realise the global green goals in 2030.

In September 2017, Việt Nam attended a ceremony to announce the P4G forum in New York as an official partner. On July 5, 2018, Việt Nam announced the formation of its National P4G Forum.

Along with the participation in P4G, over the years, Việt Nam has contributed to the efforts of the international community in responding to climate change and speeding up green recovery.

Việt Nam has engaged in multilateral mechanisms on climate while integrating climate change issues into its official documents.

On April 22 this year, President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc attended the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate chaired by US President Joe Biden, where he explained Việt Nam’s commitment to take drastic actions to respond to climate change.

On March 25, PM Chính approved a project to develop climate-resilient urban areas in Việt Nam in 2021-30.

The P4G was formed in 2017 as an initiative of Denmark. So far, it has 12 members and the engagement of more than 90 countries, international organisations as well as businesses across the globe.

The P4G Summit 2021 is considered an important event as climate change response and green recovery has become a top priority of many countries. It is expected to promote the determination and commitments of the international community and prepare for COP 26 which is slated for November this year.