HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam should be an ambitious and demanding participant in international climate negotiations, recommended experts at Wednesday’s pre-COP24 Workshop hosted by the NGO Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung Vietnam and the World Wildlife Fund.

The event focused on analysing opportunities and challenges regarding the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and identifying ways that CCWG and the Government can cooperate during the NDC revision process prior to COP24.

The Paris Agreement asks each party to develop and submit an NDC showing how climate action will be implemented at the national level from 2020 onwards to accomplish goals set at the global level.

Despite being among the most vulnerable countries to climate change, Việt Nam has done little to reduce greenhouse emissions by 2030. Therefore, the upcoming COP24 in Poland, the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the ongoing NDC revision process until the first quarter of 2019 are important opportunities to change the country’s position.

Việt Nam’s NDC revision has been implemented since June 2017 by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE). The completed report is expected to be issued by May 2019.

“NDC is an important way for Việt Nam to take part in the global assessment on climate change impacts and this year’s COP24. It is different due to the participation of both State agencies and NGOs. We are open to receiving feedback on the revision result from now on to the end of this year,” said Phạm Văn Tấn, deputy head of the Department of Climate Change under MoNRE.

Yvonne Blos, director of the Climate Change project from Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung Vietnam, stressed the common commitment of all countries including Việt Nam to enhance resilience against climate change and efficiently keep temperature rise “well below two degrees Celsius”.

“Ultimately, whether COP 24 will be a success will be measured against the following aspects: will a robust rulebook be ratified to implement the Paris Agreement? Will countries raise their ambitions in their NDCs to keep global warming well below 2 degrees? And how can we achieve clarity in climate finance and ensure solid commitments to make sure more finance is provided to poor people who will suffer the most from the harmful impacts of the climate crisis? All in all, a positive outcome at COP 24 is still possible if these goals are met,” she said. — VNS