Welcoming Ambassador Trenede Dobson and the delegation of the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam to work, Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh highly appreciated Ms. Trenede Dobson's contributions during her term in Vietnam as well as the cooperation activities between the New Zealand Embassy and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in the field of climate change response.
As for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, in the spirit of strongly implementing the commitments at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has chaired and coordinated with ministries and branches to develop and submit for approval the National Strategy on Climate Change for the period up to 2050; Methane Emission Reduction Plan and many other important documents to realize Vietnam's commitments.
Currently, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has been assigned by the Government to develop a legal framework to certify carbon credit management, moving towards building a carbon market in Vietnam. In the process of developing this legal framework, Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh hopes to receive support, exchange and learn from partners, including New Zealand.
Following Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh, Ambassador Trenede Dobson said that New Zealand was very impressed with Vietnam's commitments at COP26. Accordingly, New Zealand has accompanied and cooperated with the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in implementing these goals and wishes to continue to strengthen this cooperative relationship in the future.
At the meeting, Ambassador Trenede Dobson informed about some of New Zealand's new cooperation and investment programs, such as the International Climate Finance Strategy. This strategy aims to implement the New Zealand Government's priorities to contribute to global efforts to respond to climate change and support multilateral climate change channels.
Accordingly, the New Zealand Parliament has approved a financial commitment of NZ$1.3 billion for the period from 2022-2025; of which NZ$800 million is new funding and NZ$500 million is existing funding. Of this funding, at least 50% will be directly supported to Pacific countries to enhance climate resilience and at least 50% will be used to support developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
At the same time, Ambassador Trenede Dobson also mentioned 3 projects funded by New Zealand to Vietnam, including: The project to restore the great delta region in Asia with a financial source of 18.6 million NZD; the project to support the increase of livelihoods and employment for female workers in the energy sector, jointly implemented by UN Women and the Vietnam Women's Union in phase 1; and the project on efficient use of energy, jointly funded by New Zealand and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
“We will implement these projects through partners. The New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam will make every effort to promote partnerships working closely with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other Vietnamese ministries and sectors,” said Ambassador Trenede Dobson.
In parallel, other development cooperation projects and programs that New Zealand implements will also integrate climate change issues and climate change challenges. Ambassador Trenede Dobson hopes that in the coming time, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will send more officials to participate in these programs.
Appreciating the sharing from the New Zealand Ambassador, Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh hopes that, with the cooperation and assistance of New Zealand, the projects will support the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta and increase the ability to adapt to climate change. Currently, the Vietnamese Government has initiated long-term, meaningful programs, such as developing 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice. Such development projects need support from all parties, including New Zealand, to jointly research and find directions for developing other agricultural products in the Mekong Delta.
In addition, the Vietnamese Government has also expressed its interest in the issue of energy transition. Specifically, the Government has directed the implementation of several pilot projects to develop renewable energy in Vietnam. This is a big challenge for ministries and sectors in Vietnam because this issue requires not only public investment but also capital from many different sources. Meanwhile, Vietnam's legal framework still has limitations on regulations on the use of ODA capital. Therefore, Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh said that Vietnam is ready to continue to listen and adjust the mechanism to create conditions for international cooperation projects to be more open and timely.
At the end of the meeting, the New Zealand Ambassador believed that Vietnam has the potential to become a pioneer in environmental fields such as recycling and reuse of waste. She assessed that Vietnam is a center of innovation, in which many young businesses and startups in Vietnam have come up with many innovative and environmentally friendly initiatives. The Ambassador hoped that in the future, the two countries will continue to promote cooperation in climate change to new heights and support each other to overcome challenges and achieve the common goal of carbon neutrality.
Source
Comment (0)