Transcript The Position of Vietnam in the International Climate

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan
Vice President
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
Outline
 Impacts of climate change on Vietnam
 Vietnam’s position in response to climate change
 Measures taken by Vietnam for responding to
climate change
 Vietnam’s international cooperation in
responding to climate change
 About the book
Impacts of Climate Change on Vietnam
 Climate change, global warming and related impacts such as
rising sea levels have been and will be a major challenge for
mankind,
 Under the most optimistic climate change scenarios, by the
end of the 21st century, the average temperature rises about
2.3 degree Celsius,
 meaning that the sea level in Vietnam could rise between 75
centimeters to one meter compared to the average level of
the 1980-1999 period,
 40% of the area of the Mekong delta, 11% of the area of Red
River delta, 3% of the area of other coastal provinces will be
under the water; 20% of the area of Ho Chi Minh city could
be flooded; 10-12% of population could be directly affected,
and it costs the country about 10% of its GDP
Vietnam’s Position: (according to Vietnam’s sustainable
development strategy in 2011-2020 approved by the Prime Minister)
 Rapid development must be associated with sustainable
development,
 Sustainable development is required throughout,
 Socio-economic development must always attach special
importance to environmental protection and improvement,
and active responses to climate change,
 Adaptation to and mitigation of climate change should be
implemented simultaneously, and are central points in the
development strategy of Vietnam,
 Green growth, low-carbon oriented economic growth and
development are considered important, while using energy
economically and efficiently, and developing clean and
renewable energy to ensure national energy security.
Measures taken by Vietnam (policy perspectives)
 Environmental Protection Law: promulgated in 1993 and
amended in 2005,
 Decision 58/2008/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister on the
National Target Programme on responses to climate
change: promulgated in 2008,
 Decision 1393/QD-TTg (2012) on the National Strategy for
Green Growth: promulgated in 2012,
 Decision No. 2139/QD-TTg of the Vietnamese
government on the approval of the national strategy on
climate change to the year 2050, with a vision to 2100:
promulgated on 5 December 2011; and
 Decision No. 1570/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister on the
approval of the strategy on exploitation and sustainable
use of natural resources and protection of the marine
environment to the year 2020, with a vision to 2030,
issued on 9 June 2013 .
Vietnam’s international cooperation in
responding to climate change
 Position of Vietnam: international cooperation in coping
with climate change is very important.
 The government of Vietnam affirms that: “responding to
climate change must be placed at the global level."
 Understanding the negative impacts of climate change,
Vietnam actively participates in various activities against the
impacts of climate change proposed by the UN.
 Vietnam has signed the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 11 June 1994,
 Vietnam has signed the Kyoto Protocol on December 3, 1998,
which has been ratified on December 25, 2002.
 Cooperation with the European
Union:
 Vietnam and the EU have signed a Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in replacement of the
Framework Agreement for Cooperation in 1995,
 The PCA has officially come into force on June 27, 2012.
 Article 31 of the PCA between Vietnam and the EU affirms
that both sides will: “cooperate to accelerate the fight
against climate change and its impact on environmental
degradation and poverty, promote policies to help mitigate
climate change and adapt to the negative effects of climate
change, especially the rise of sea levels, and to set their
economies on sustainable low-carbon growth paths.”
About the book: The Governance of Climate
Relations between Europe and Asia: Evidence from
China and Vietnam as Key Emerging Economies
 Published by Edward Elgar in 2013 as the result of
collaboration between scientists of the Institute of European
Studies of VASS and the University of Leuven, financially
supported by Nafosted (VN) and the Flemish Fund for
Scientific Research (FWO) (Belgium)
 The book is a testimony to our succesful collaboration, and
opens up the prospect for future cooperation between
Vietnam and the EU in general, and Vietnam and Belgium in
particular, in responding to climate change as well as in
comprehensive cooperation for sustainable development and
prosperity.
Thank you for your attention!