Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung addresses the dialogue 

The event was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) Tran Hong Ha, and UN Country Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta. 

Addressing the dialogue, Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung, who is head of the National Steering Committee on Climate Change, said that climate change has become an urgent matter globally, drawing increasing attention of countries as well as humankind. 

The adoption of the Paris Agreement on climate change has opened up a new era of cooperation in climate change mitigation for sustainable development, he said. 

The Deputy PM noted that Vietnam is among countries most vulnerable to climate change, citing the World Risk Index which ranks Vietnam fifth in terms of damage inflicted by natural disasters. 

Natural disasters have killed and injured hundreds of people every year, while causing average loss of 1.9 billion USD, or 1.3 percent of GDP each year. Climate change has also caused increasing number of extreme weather conditions in recent years, especially floods and drought with higher intensity and frequency. 

Vietnam has been hit by 6-8 storms and low pressures each year, with more and more of them gaining in strength, causing heavy economic damage, he said. 

In 2016, severe cold spells in the north, prolonged drought in the southern and Central Highlands regions and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta region devastated production, the life of locals and the environment, while slowing down the economic growth. 

For the first time in many years, agriculture sector has experienced a drop of 0.18 percent with the Winter-Spring rice crop’s production reduced by 1.34 million tonnes. 

Deputy PM Dung held that the dialogue is a good chance for policy-makers and domestic and foreign scientists as well as development partners to discuss urgent matters and seek measures to help Vietnam deal with climate change. 

He suggested that participants focus on four major issues, which include the latest scientific research findings in climate change, and Vietnam’s plan of actions and efforts in preparation for the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the country’s commitments in its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) plan. 

The Deputy PM asked the participants to point out deficiencies in Vietnam’s mechanisms and policies as well as plans of actions and clarify the support capacity of international partners for Vietnam’s effective settlement of climate change impacts and implementation of Paris Agreement and other commitments. 

He also expressed hope that the participants will make clear key issues that should receive attention in carrying out national strategies and plan of actions on climate change, green growth, natural disaster prevention and renewable energy development. 

Deputy PM Dung informed the event that immediately after the COP21 conference in Paris, the MoNRE in coordination with other ministries, agencies and local authorities designed a plan of actions to implement the Paris Agreement in Vietnam, which set out specific targets and tasks with long, medium and short-term solutions assigned to ministries and sectors as well as planned resources. The plan has been submitted to the PM for consideration and approval. 

Despite limited resources, Vietnam is carrying out its national strategy on climate change as well as other plans on green growth and renewable energy development while engaging in global efforts in the field, including making its INDC on GHG emission reduction and climate change response. 

The country aims for an 8 percent reduction of GHG emission by 2030 using domestic resources, or by 25 percent if it receives support of international community, noted the Deputy PM. 

At the dialogue, representatives of development partners, including the UN, the EU, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the World Bank in Vietnam, and the embassies of Denmark and the US, vowed to forge stronger cooperation with Vietnam in climate change response in the coming years. 

WB Country Director in Vietnam Ousmane Dione said that the bank will continue sharing experience and knowledge with Vietnam, while mobilising existing resources for the Support Programme to Response to Climate Change (SPRCC) in Vietnam.-VNA