PRESS RELEASE – Closing workshop for the project “Support to Viet Nam for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement”

Hanoi, 31/03/2023 – On 31/03/2023, the closing workshop for the project “Support to Viet Nam for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement” (VN-SIPA) was held. The workshop was co-chaired by His Excellency Mr. Tang The Cuong, Director General of the Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and His Excellency Mr. Jens Schmid-Kreye, Deputy Head of German Development Cooperation of the German Embassy Hanoi.

As one of the countries most affected by the impacts of climate change, Viet Nam has made strong commitments , along with the international community, to respond to global climate change. In 2016, Viet Nam ratified  the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and since then has taken drastic measures to implement it.

Particularly, at COP26, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. In order to realise such an ambitious commitment, Viet Nam has significantly enhanced its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2022, in which the unconditional emission reduction was set at 15.8% compared to 9% in the 2020 NDC, and the conditional emission reduction was set at 43.5% compared to 27% in the 2020 NDC.

With the goal of supporting Viet Nam to implement the Paris Agreement, after four years of implementation, the project has made some significant contributions, especially the consultation and support to the development of the policy and legal framework for climate change; the development and update of the NDC; and capacity strengthening for focal points at national, sectoral, and provincial levels in managing and coordinating NDC implementation and the Paris Agreement.

“With support from the project and other partners, Viet Nam managed to submit the 2020 NDC and the updated 2022 NDC and has integrated the responsibilities of greenhouse gas emission reduction and climate change adaptation in the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection. Climate change policies and plans, which provide the roadmap to fulfil Viet Nam’s net zero emission commitment at COP26, have also been developed and finalised. This is a significant result that the project has achieved,” Mr. Tang The Cuong, Director General of the Department of Climate Change noted.

In addition to that, VN-SIPA has consulted and supported line ministries to develop four Measuring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems for national-level mitigation in four sectors: land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF); transport; construction; and waste management. The project has also supported the development of mitigation policies and plans, including the circular on energy labeling for electric cars and motorcycles; reviewing GHG emission reductions for the conversion from private vehicles to public transport in five major cities; regulations on fuel use and GHG emissions from aircraft in civil aviation transportation, led by the Ministry of Transportation.

In the agricultural sector, the project has supported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop the sectoral plan to reduce GHG emissions (including a plan to reduce methane emissions) in agriculture and rural development until 2030 and implement the NDC in farming, livestock production, and LULUCF, etc.

To mitigate the negative impact from climate change in a strategic way and strengthen Viet Nam’s resilience and adaptive capacity, VN-SIPA has worked with development partners to support the Department of Climate Change to develop and promote the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and the Measuring and Evaluation (M&E) system for adaptation activities at the national level.

NDC implementation measures have been integrated by line ministries in their strategic policies and plans to lay the groundwork and legal foundation towards the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

It is crucial to raise and strengthen the awareness, knowledge, and capacity of the national focal points and line ministries in managing and coordinating the implementation of NDC and the Paris Agreement. Thus, the project has organised study tours and working sessions for experts to draft strategic policies and attend training workshops, with the aim to i) analyse and aggregate information, and improve negotiation skills for climate change negotiations; ii) strengthen the capacity to implement NDC objectives and measure; iii) strengthen the capacity to develop GHG inventories; and iv) raise the awareness of climate change risks and adaptive capacity.

Apart from policy development support and capacity strengthening for line ministries, the project VN-SIPA has also worked with its partners (including the private sector) to successfully piloting three urban ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) measures in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh, and five models of ecosystem-based and climate-smart agriculture in Ha Tinh. These measures and pilot models have been transferre to the provinces for operation and replication.

The VN-SIPA project was funded in the context of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The International Climate Initiative (IKI) is an important part of the German government’s international climate finance commitment. Since 2022 the IKI is implemented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) in close cooperation with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Federal Foreign Office (AA).

The implementation was coordinated between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The project worked with the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Planning and Investment, Transportation, Construction, and two provinces of Quang Binh and Ha Tinh to implement from 2019 to March 2023. “Within four years of implementation, the VN-SIPA project has achieved all goals and objectives agreed between the Vietnamese government and line ministries and GIZ,” Mr. Pham Van Tan, Deputy Director General of the Department of Climate Change said.

The first phase of the project has concluded with many significant results and achievements in supporting the Vietnamese government and line ministries to fulfill their climate commitments. VN-SIPA’s second phase will start with new programmes and goals. Mr. Tan wished that the German government will “help finalise the sectoral systems and technical regulations, because although Viet Nam is a developing country, we are implementing the goals of greenhouse gas emissions reduction and ozone protection equivalent to those of developed countries, and support the implementation of greenhouse gas mitigation activities, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation.”

Mr. Jens Schmid-Kreye also shared his expectation that “the line ministries will continue to join hands and strengthen their cooperation to work towards the national goal of climate neutrality by 2050, implement NDCs and the goals of the Just Energy Transition Partnership. The Vietnamese Government and people can count on the support from the German Government in these efforts.”

The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) between Viet Nam and G7 and non-G7 countries has been signed at the end of December 2022.

For more information, please contact:

Chu Thi Thanh Huong,

Head of GHG Emission Mitigation and Ozone Protection
Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Email address: chuthanhhuong@gmail.com
Phone number: 0946543030

Nguyen Thi Hong Xiem,

Senior Communication Officer
GIZ Viet Nam
Email address: xiem.nguyen@giz.de
Phone number: 0913015059