In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the over 200 member-strong partnership is bolstering efforts to help countries meet commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and empower renewable energy, food security, and climate adaptation initiatives.

Pilot solar pv installation at a resource center in the Kalinago Territory, Dominica. Credit: JAK/IPS

DOMINICA, Mar 10 2022 (IPS) - A member-led global coalition of 202 countries and institutions, the NDC Partnership has turned the spotlight on climate action by supporting countries’ efforts to craft and implement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which outline their commitments to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

As a cornerstone of the Paris Climate Agreement, countries are expected to present revised and progressively more ambitious NDCs to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change every five years. After years of planning, country governments are now shifting to NDC implementation. They are calling on the NDC Partnership’s technical expertise and financial support to catalyze climate action amidst the ongoing climate crisis and COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the NDC Partnership confidently demonstrates that many countries have made progress towards addressing climate change and advancing sustainable development.

Although the pandemic delayed some countries’ NDC submissions and climate action plans, there has been significant progress towards NDC implementation across three critical sectors: renewable energy, food security, and climate adaptation. Representatives for Partnership members, including the International Renewal Energy Agency (IRENA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), discussed the challenges countries faced in NDC implementation across their respective sectors and reflected on the successes and lessons learned over the last few years.

“It was super difficult with COVID, but I have to say it is really remarkable,” said Elizabeth Press, IRENA’s director of planning and programme support. “The majority of countries were very involved [in NDC revision and implementation] and worked hard to compensate for shortfalls. The virtual way of operating was sub-optimal, but many countries made it work.” Over the last NDC revision cycle, IRENA has been working with over 70 countries to bring clean energy goals into their NDCs, a process which Press said has been more collaborative and streamlined this time around.

“Comparing the first round of NDC work that was done around Paris and now, there is a big difference,” she said. “The first round was largely done by environment ministries and consultants and was not an integrated government process. It’s different now and gives me hope that this [a country’s NDC] is not just a document that needs to be submitted to the United Nations, but that serious consideration and widespread consultation has taken place on how to formulate and execute these promises in a climate-safe manner.”

Looking forward, Press noted that countries had requested IRENA’s assistance to ensure a smooth transition to renewable energy through data collection, the development of road maps, project implementation, and other issues linked to energy transition, such as water and food security.

Critical for addressing climate change and a recurring theme globally, food security is a priority for NDC Partnership members that recognize ending hunger, and achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal requires NDCs to embrace agroecology and sustainable agriculture.

In fact, 95 percent of NDCs listed agriculture as a priority sector for climate action. “This is important because agriculture is both a source of greenhouse gas emissions and an important part of the solution to the climate crisis for mitigation, adaptation, and building resilience,” said Zitouni Ould-Dada, FAO’s deputy director for the office of climate change, biodiversity, and environment.

According to FAO, the world’s agri-food system contributes over 30 percent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. “When we say agriculture, we include fisheries, forestry, and land use,” Douda said.

FAO helps countries to raise ambition and integrate agriculture and food systems into their NDCs.

“We recently provided technical assistance to 21 countries to accelerate the implementation of their NDCs and enhance the ambition of their commitments, and we have been facilitating this support to countries since 2017.”

Douda said that FAO’s programs ensure that national commitments are translated into actionable policies on the ground.

In reflecting on FAO’s successes, he cites increased access to finance for farmers, higher engagement among civil society and women’s organizations in determining countries’ climate commitments, and an extended suite of incentives for farmers as evidence of successful climate action to date.

For other Partnership members, however, success can be found in the increase in local climate adaptation initiatives or projects that are designed to help communities mitigate and prepare for the effects of climate change.

“Scaling up adaptation is important for the many countries – especially countries in the Small Island Developing State and Least Developed Country groups – that have contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions but are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” said Anne Hammill, IISD’s senior director of the resilience program.

IISD noted that many countries are now including information on how to prepare for climate-driven threats and disasters as a part of their NDC reporting.

Through the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, IISD helps countries identify and achieve adaptation priorities by working with citizen and civil society groups. Hammill points to partnerships with Costa Rica and Tonga governments as recent examples of this successful collaboration on climate actions.

“In Costa Rica, we worked with the government to launch the Next Season project that offered artists residencies for creative approaches to informing the public about climate policies,” Hammill says. “In Tonga, we supported the government to hold the first-ever media engagement workshop on their national climate plan, as well as preparing a report to track progress on their national climate plan and work to revise their Climate Change Policy.”

According to Hammill, more countries are moving from planning to action and “linking on-the-ground adaptation projects to a broader national mandate and vision set out in their NAPs and NDCs.” For IISD, the NDC Partnership has been instrumental in addressing a critical area of concern: coordination of support.

“There is a very diverse landscape of support to countries and relatively limited capacities to navigate, let alone absorb such support,” Hammill said. “This coordination challenge can be particularly acute in LDCs and SIDS and can get in the way of progress, let alone the efficient use of resources.”

Acknowledging that decisive action on climate is not easy, the NDC Partnership’s members say national climate teams continue to face challenges, including insufficient funding, inadequate staffing, and knowledge and resource gaps related to climate tools and planning.

However, with the Partnership’s resources, expertise, and funding, country members and institutions are finding ways to advance sustainable development and local climate action together, underscoring the value of collective action.

With the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s latest assessment report on the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, biodiversity, and communities at the global and regional level this week, the need for collective action is more evident than ever.

The report’s findings underscore the urgency of global adaptation efforts to drive climate action, efforts that the Partnership is committed to supporting. By acting together, NDC Partnership members are working to ensure countries are better prepared for the impacts of climate change, now and for future generations.

 

Most of the Vietnamese people wishing to leave three big Ukrainian cities, namely Kyiv, Kharkov, and Odessa, have been evacuated in the face of the complicated situation there, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to the country Nguyễn Hồng Thạch.

These three cities are home to the majority of Vietnamese in Ukraine.

Việt Nam’s representative agencies in Ukraine and neighbouring countries said as of 5pm on March 6, they had received more than 2,600 Vietnamese people evacuated from war zones in Ukraine, including over 1,700 to Poland, 290 to Hungary, about 600 to Romania, and over 40 to Slovakia.

The agencies have assisted them to handle entry and transit procedures and coordinated with authorities and Vietnamese associations in the host countries to prepare transport, accommodation, and essential supplies for the evacuees.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working closely with relevant ministries, sectors, agencies, and airlines to arrange three flights repatriating the Vietnamese and their families from Romania on March 7 and March 10 (both scheduled to arrive in Hà Nội a day later) and Poland on March 9.

Talking to Vietnam News Agency, Ambassador Thạch said on the first one to two days of the fighting, many Vietnamese people in Ukraine originally didn’t intend to leave since their property and families were still there. However, after some houses suffered damage, the embassy demanded they evacuate.

The embassy has coordinated with the Vietnamese communities in the three big cities of Ukraine to carry out the evacuation and already completed the work, he noted, adding that for those in smaller cities, it has also liaised and encouraged the expatriates to move to safer places.

Only Vietnamese in Kherson, which is currently under Russian control, and Mariupol, encircled by Russian forces, haven’t been able to leave.

The embassy is exerting efforts to work with diplomatic agencies of Ukraine and Russia, as well as international organisations, to evacuate the Vietnamese people in these two cities. There are about 80 Vietnamese in Kherson and 100 others in Mariupol at present, Thạch said.

He added the embassy always keeps in touch with Vietnamese associations to grasp the situation, and that there haven’t been any reports about Vietnamese casualties in Ukraine.

According to Ambassador Nguyễn Hùng, the Vietnamese Embassy in Poland has promptly carried out citizen protection measures for those moving from Ukraine, with the highest priority given to safeguarding the lives, property, and legal and legitimate interests of Vietnamese citizens and legal entities.

It has also asked the foreign ministry, border guard authority, and committee for foreigners of Poland to facilitate Vietnamese people’s entry, transit, and temporary residency and ensure accommodation and essential supplies for them.

In Romania, the Vietnamese Embassy and community have also been exerting efforts to assist the Vietnamese people from Ukraine.

Ambassador Đặng Trần Phong said more than 800 Vietnamese moved from Ukraine to Romania as of late March 6, and the figure is likely to increase in the coming days.

Preparations for the first repatriation flight, from Romania’s capital city Bucharest to Hà Nội, have been completed. The official list has 283 people, with 15 on the waiting list in case someone on the official list doesn’t make it to the flight.

A representative from the embassy will also be present at the airport to assist with entry and exit procedures.

The embassy has been coordinating closely with Vietnamese associations to receive and arrange transport, accommodation, supplies, along with procedures for flying to the homeland for the expatriates, he added.

Phong also highly valued the solidarity and wholehearted support of the Vietnamese community in Romania, who have always stayed united and greatly helped the evacuees.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese Embassy in Hungary has been working around the clock to grasp the situation and assist the Vietnamese people moving from Ukraine, Ambassador Nguyễn Thị Bích Thảo said, noting that the team for legal information has been working continuously to stay updated with information from Ukrainian and EU authorities to offer help in terms of procedures while the logistics team is responsible for preparing accommodation and essential goods for the evacuees.

The Vietnamese community in Hungary has also raised funds for the displaced citizens from Ukraine.

The embassy in Hungary received 290 Vietnamese people from Ukraine as of March 6, and about 50 others are on their way to the country, the diplomat said.

She added most of the Vietnamese fleeing to Hungary only wish to seek temporary shelter and return to Ukraine once the situation there is settled. Only a few of them want to move to another country in the EU like Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. Those wishing to come back to Việt Nam have registered to get to Poland or Romania for repatriation flights./.

 

Ambassador Đặng Hoàng Giang, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN, called for the enhancing of programmes and activities for women capacity building at local, national and international levels in order to promote sustainable peace and women's economic empowerment.

Addressing a ministerial-level open debate on women, peace and security (WPS of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday (local time), the Vietnamese diplomat said for countries to achieve prosperous and stable development, the role of women is absolutely essential, not only as beneficiaries, but more importantly as leaders and active contributors.

He underlined the need to strengthen public-private partnerships as well as collaboration among the UN, its member states, and non-governmental organisations, in sharing experiences, mobilising resources and enhancing women's ability.

Ambassador Giang also reiterated Việt Nam's commitment to upholding the role and rights of women and international peace and security, saying that Vietnamese women hold many leadership positions in the country, and play an important role in economic development, and actively contribute to international issues, including participating in UN peacekeeping operations.

Việt Nam will make efforts and work with the international community to continue taking specific measures in order to enhance the role of women in development, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction, he said.

Việt Nam has made substantive contributions during the two tenures as a non-permanent member of the UNSC in 2008-2009 and 2020-2021. In December 2020, Việt Nam hosted an international conference on women, peace and security, which highlighted the importance of strengthening the role of women in peacebuilding, and promoting post-conflict reconstruction.

During the meeting, participants discussed challenges, experience and proposals to promote women's participation, especially in the economic field, in the process of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction./.

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Caring for and protecting legitimate rights of women, both in family and  society, is the consistent policy of the Vietnamese Party and State since the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The tireless efforts in ensuring and promoting gender equality have brought about great and practical results.

From policy to reality

The policies on gender equality rolled out in Vietnam have kept up with different periods of time.

After President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence declaring the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945, the 1946 Constitution, the first in Vietnam, prescribed gender equality. Article 9 of the Constitution said women and men enjoy equal rights in all aspects.  

The 1959 Constitution also stipulated rights and obligations of women in its Article 24, Chapter 3, which also emphasised equal rights of women and men in politics, economy, culture, social affairs and family.

Along with integrating women’s rights into basic rights of citizens, the 1980 Constitution had exclusive regulations on rights of women.

According to Article 57, citizens above 21 years old, regardless of their gender, can be elected to the National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils, the highest organs of State power at the central and local levels.

Meanwhile, Article 63 said the State and the society are responsible for improving women’s political, cultural, scientific and technological knowledge, as well as promoting their careers, helping them to raise their position in the society.

For labour policies, men and women in the same employment performing equal work receive equal pay, and women can take a maternity leave before and after childbirth with full-rate payment.

The 1992 Constitution, which was amended and supplemented in 2001, maintained the above-said regulations.

To concretise provisions of the Constitution, Vietnam issued the Law on Gender Equality in 2006, under which women’s rights were prescribed more adequately, specifically and comprehensively.

Other laws and legal documents have also materialised the Constitution’s provisions, notably the Law on Social Insurance (in 2006 and 2014), the 2006 Law on Residence, the 2007 Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control, and the Law on Marriage and Family (in 2000 and 2014), among others.

The 2013 Constitution has detailed regulations on rights of women, with articles from 14 to 49 of Chapter 2 stipulating human rights and rights of citizens, including women.

The legal regulations emphasise equal and priority rights of women, like those in employment, job arrangement and retirement, helping women prove their capacity and avoid risks at workplace, in family and society.

Numbers speak

The 15th National Assembly of Vietnam was elected on May 23, 2021 with 499 deputies, including 151 females or 30.26 percent of the total. This is the second time that female NA deputies have exceeded 30 percent. The first time was recorded in the 5th legislature with 32.31 percent.

During the first tenure, female deputies made up only 3 percent. However, they had outstandingly performed their tasks.

The 14th tenure has gone down in the 75-year history of the legislature as the first time a woman was sworn in as chair of the NA – Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and at the same time, another woman assumed the post of vice chair – Tong Thi Phong.

The number of female NA deputies holding leadership positions during the present tenure now accounts for nearly 40 percent of the total.
Meanwhile, female representatives at People’s Councils at the provincial level make up 26.5 percent, up 1.37 percent from the previous term; and at the district level, 27,9 percent, a rise of 3.2 percent as compared with the previous tenure.

At the 13th National Party Congress, among the members of the Party Central Committee officially elected, 18 are female. Meanwhile, out of 63 secretaries of municipal and provincial Party Committees for 2020-2025, nine are female, the highest number so far.

Vietnam’s efforts in gender equality have been acknowledged by the international community.

The country ranks 51st globally, fourth in Asia and first in the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in the rate of female NA deputies.
Its gender equality index is also constantly rising as Vietnam claimed the 87th position out of the 153 countries surveyed for gender gap narrowing.

Vietnam has a greater percentage of women in senior leadership positions than the global average, according to Grant Thornton’s International Business Report.

In Vietnam’s mid-market companies, women hold 33 percent of senior leadership positions with the most common being personnel director (36 percent) and chief financial officer (32 percent). Globally the rate is 29 percent.

Ninety five percent of businesses in Vietnam have at least one woman in senior management, again above the global rate of 87 percent./.

 

                                     A group of colleagues pose for a photo at a company in Vietnam
A recent survey by the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN) shows that Vietnam ranks first in terms of gender equality at home and work among 39 countries included in the poll.

The survey, which took place on the occasion of upcoming International Women’s Day, reveals that 93 percent of the Vietnamese respondents said gender equality exists at their home.

About 84 percent of them said there is equality between men and women at their workplace.

These are the highest ratios recorded among respondents from 39 countries across the world.

According to the overall result of the survey, 70 percent of the pollees agreed that there is equality between sexes at their family, while 60 percent of them answered gender quality can be seen at work.

Japan has the lowest gender equality index as only 30 percent of the Japanese informants said men and women are treated equally in the workplace, while 44 percent of them reported gender equality at home.

Women face the most difficulties in the political sector as only half of the overall pollees said women and men are treated equally in politics.

Finland records the highest rate of 86 percent, while Japan has the lowest of 18 percent. In Vietnam, the figure is 63 percent.

Approximately 37 percent of the overall interviewees agreed women have the same opportunities as men when it comes to job search and career development.

China comes first in this category with a ratio of 79 percent, followed by Vietnam with 69 percent.

The survey was conducted in 39 countries via face-to-face, telephone, and online interviews with the participation of 33,326 people.

In Vietnam, the survey was done with the assistance of Indochina Research Company, which involved 601 people from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang City, and Can Tho Province.

 

Delegates to a policy dialogue jointly held by the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and the UN Women in Hà Nội on Monday discussed the effect of climate change on women's livelihoods.

VWU Vice President Nguyễn Thị Minh Hương pointed out gender stereotypes in the role of women in natural disaster combat and climate change response, stressing that women have the capacity to create resources for natural disaster adaptation and mitigation.

She added that women should be empowered to meet their own needs, helping themselves, their families, and communities cope with extreme weather events caused by climate change.

Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Ann Mawe briefed delegates on Sweden’s “feminist foreign policy” and emphasised the responsibility of policy makers in forming a resilient community.  

Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Country Representative of UN Women in Việt Nam, said climate, environment and natural disaster policies and programmes should put women and girls at the centre of decision-making.  

She also called for gender mainstreaming in policies and programmes on mitigation of natural disasters, climate and environment.

The dialogue forms part of the project “EmPower: Strengthening Human Rights and Gender Equality through Climate Actions and Disaster Risk Reduction,” funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency./.

 

Two flights repatriating Vietnamese people form Ukraine will depart from Romania and Poland this week. 

One flight, conducted by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, is scheduled to depart from Romania on March 7 transporting 283 Vietnamese citizens. It is expected to arrive at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội at noon on March 8. 

The other flight, conducted by Bamboo Airlines, will depart from Poland on March 9 with 270 passengers onboard. It is scheduled to arrive at Nội Bài airport on March 10 in the morning. 

The Government recently approved the policy to arrange flights to bring Vietnamese people from Ukraine home.

With spirit of humanity and placing the highest priority to the protection of Vietnamese citizens, the Government allows the organisation of flights repatriating Vietnamese people and their families, with the initial number of 900 Vietnamese people, who will depart from Poland, Romania or Moldova.

They will receive COVID-19 tests upon their arrival in Việt Nam and take necessary medical measures in line with the Ministry of Health’s instruction.

The Government assigned the Ministry of Transport to take the major lead in arranging the flights, while the Ministry of Finance was asked to finance the flights.

As part of efforts to implement the Prime Minister’s direction, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has worked with the Ministry of Transport to conduct the two repatriation flights.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to coordinate with agencies to continue to arrange flights to evacuate Vietnamese people and their family members from dangerous areas in Ukraine to neighbouring countries, and bring those who wish to return to Việt Nam depending on the real situation and capacity of Việt Nam.

In recent days, Vietnamese representative offices in Ukraine and neighbouring countries have coordinated closely with local authorities and Vietnamese associations in host countries to support the Vietnamese community to evacuate from conflict areas and provide them with temporary accommodations and essential necessities.

As of March 4, almost all of Vietnamese people in Kyiv and Odessa and hundreds of people in Kharkov had been evacuated to neighbouring countries. Of them, 370 had come to Romania, 200 had been on the way from Moldova to Romania, 600 from Ukraine had arrived in Poland, about 125 had reached to Hungary and about 40 had come to Slovakia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ group for citizen protection and representative offices are keeping a close watch on the situation and receiving requests from Vietnamese people through citizen protection hotlines.

Vietnamese in Ukraine and neighbouring countries who need support or wish to flee from war areas can contact the ministry and representative offices in countries through following phone numbers:

+ Ministry of Foreign Affairs: +84-965411118, +84-981848484; Email: baohocongdan@gmail.com

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine: +380 (63) 8638999

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Russia: +79916821617

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Polland: 0048782257359

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Romania: 0040744645037

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Slovakia: +421 2 5245 1263, +421 915 419 568./.

 

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has praised the country’s economic growth since the beginning of the year and set out plans for the normalisation of COVID-19. 

The Government leader chaired a cabinet meeting on Thursday to review socio-economic development in the first two months of the year, the COVID-19 prevention programme for the 2022-23 period, preparations for the 31st SEA Games, and other prominent domestic and international affairs, including the situation in Ukraine.

Reports on these issues were presented and discussed by officials at the meeting.

Economic experts said the country has seen positive signs of economic recovery; this year’s economic growth forecast is 7.9 per cent, according to Flitch Ratings.

Leaders of the Ministry of Health said the percentage of deaths from COVID-19 decreased from 2.45 to 1.54 since Decree 128 was issued in October last year, which regulates a safe and flexible adaptation to the disease.

However, they also pointed out several tasks the country need to fulfil over the next few months, especially as March will be the last month of the first quarter, with many goals in terms of production and healthcare to be met.

Speaking about these goals, PM Chính recognised the economic highlights the country has achieved, but also asked sector leaders to prepare for months of “more difficulties and challenges than advantages and opportunities.”

He asked leaders of sectors and ministries to keep track of the global and international affairs related to their fields of authority and take actions accordingly if needed.

He asked the health ministry to keep up the pandemic prevention work, assess the status of antibodies against COVID-19 nationwide, and learn from international experience to prepare to “normalise COVID-19 and consider it an endemic disease”.

He assigned Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam to complete a draft pandemic prevention programme to be soon promulgated and made public.

The Government leader formed a special working group related to the situation in Ukraine and appointed Standing Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh head of the group.

He also assigned Deputy Prime Minister Lê Văn Thành to direct and solve issues related to tax and fee policies, which will help to reduce costs and increase domestic petroleum production.

He asked concerned authorities to speed up public investment disbursement, especially for traffic infrastructure development projects. 

“Ministries, sectors and localities that do not complete their capital distribution plans in March will have their capital adjusted and officials reviewed,” he said.

They must also complete plans for economic recovery and growth during this month in accordance with their levels of authority, the PM added.

He stressed the need for strong determination, efforts and actions to end the first quarter on a high note, creating motivation for the whole year, which is expected to be the year the country wins the fight against COVID-19 and achieves quick and sustainable growth./.