Vietnam updates contribution to Paris agreement implementation

The workshop was held by  the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the German Development Cooperation GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB).

Participants include members of the Steering Committee for the Implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement; members of Vietnam Panel on Climate Change; representatives of ministries, development partners, embassies, enterprises, national and international scientists and media. 

Speaking at the workshop, First Counselor of the German Embassy Martin Hoppe emphasized that he highly appreciates the attempt of the Government of Vietnam to update the NDC and start this process very timely.

The historic Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, is the first legally binding document that formalizes the responsibilities and commitments – through NDCs – of Parties in the global response to climate change. Under the Agreement, countries are expected to submit updated NDCs every five years, defining their commitments in order to contribute to holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C, pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C, and achieving net zero emissions by the second half of this century.

In recognition of the importance of Vietnam’s NDC implementation, the Prime Minister, in Official Dispatch No. 199 / TTg-QHQT dated 8 February 2017 and at the 8th meeting session of the National Committee on Climate Change on 18 May 2017, assigned MONRE to cooperate with other ministries, sectors and stakeholders to review and update Vietnam’s NDC.

The workshop aims to build a consultative NDC review process on the content, roadmap and roles of key stakeholders in reviewing and updating the NDC from now to 2020. 

Through this, Vietnam aims to apply a holistic approach in reviewing commitments from each sector as well as to evaluate its related impacts to the economy as a whole. The process will also explore opportunities to identify synergies and co-benefits of mitigation and adaptation measures across sectors, which is key to ensure ambitious and effective climate actions in Vietnam. 

“NDC is a national contribution, and requires careful consideration by all major contributors and ensures transparency in the process of implementation. 

The stakeholders should understand what their contributions are; what to prepare to implement; what responsibilities they need to do after NDC is approved,” said Vice Minister Vo Tuan Nhan. 

He also called for close cooperation and support from all ministries, local agencies, development partners and other related stakeholders to this important process of reviewing and updating NDC, which will complete by 2020 before COP 26.