Senior ministries and other stakeholders will meet with the COP President to further negotiations on a Viet Nam Just Energy Transition Partnership.
Additionally, he will travel to the Mekong River Delta to meet with local groups affected by climate change and observe the effects of river bank erosion and sea level rise.
The COP President will highlight the urgent need for revised climate pledges from nations before COP27 before heading to the G20 ministerial talks in Bali.
Alok Sharma, the president of COP26, will visit Vietnam from August 27–30, 2022, to meet with important ministers, advance discussions on a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and observe the effects of climate change there.
The Government of Viet Nam and an International Partner Group (IPG) of nations, which consists of the United Kingdom, European Union, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States of America, will enter into a long-term political agreement known as the Viet Nam Just Energy Transition Partnership.
As part of the nation’s commitment to its ambitious Power Development Plan and 2050 net zero objective, this country-led cooperation will assist Viet Nam in accelerating its transition away from coal.
Viet Nam will have the chance to become a global leader in renewable energy thanks to the Partnership, which will be supported by clear plans to deliver a just energy transition and catalyse clean energy investment.
In order to promote public and private sector engagement and the mobilisation of finance as part of the process, the COP26 President will also meet with donors from the G7 and development partners as well as businesses and private sector stakeholders.
He will participate in a roundtable discussion with representatives from civil society organisations to get their opinions and insights on the developments since COP26, the proposed Just Energy Transition Partnership, and the opportunities and difficulties that Viet Nam’s low-carbon energy transition presents.
Mr. Sharma will carry on the work of the UK COP Presidency by pressing for updated climate commitments from all nations ahead of COP27 as agreed in the Glasgow Climate Pact during his third visit to the nation as COP President.
Viet Nam will be urged by Mr. Sharma to submit a revised 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) that is in line with its 2050 net zero goal.
Along with researchers from Can Tho University and the Dragon-Mekong Research Institute, Mr. Sharma will travel to Can Tho in the Mekong River Delta to observe the effects of river bank erosion and sea level rise on vulnerable areas.
Mr. Sharma will hear from locals who have benefited from a project on urban resilience against flooding and the effects of climate change.
President of COP26, Alok Sharma, stated:
To keep the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees and to support the creation of resilient, prosperous, and low-carbon communities worldwide, immediate action is required.
In order to achieve its 2050 net zero objective, Viet Nam has a fantastic chance to accelerate the transition away from coal via the planned Just Energy Transition Partnership.
I’m glad to be back in Viet Nam to talk with ministers of the government, organisations from the public sector, executives from large corporations, members of local communities, and members of civil society about how we can collaborate to take meaningful climate action.
In addition to enhancing climate action, a clean, equitable energy transition will support job development, clean air, and a resilient, prosperous future.
The COP President will go to Indonesia to attend the G20 Climate and Environment Ministerial Conference in Bali after his trip to Vietnam.
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editors’ background information
The Viet Nam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) claims that during the previous 50 years, climate change has been a factor in temperature rises of more than 0.5C and a 20 cm rise in sea level.
Extreme weather occurrences have also become more frequent. Viet Nam has recorded 226 severe weather occurrences over the last 20 years, with an average of 286 fatalities per year and $2 billion in economic damages.
Can Tho is the biggest city in the Mekong Delta area of Vietnam and the country’s fourth largest metropolis overall.
In the last 20 years, there have been more frequent and unpredictable storms, floods, and droughts in the region.
The “Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Scenario Report” by the Viet Nam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) estimates that 20% of Can Tho City would become inhabitable if the sea level rises by 100 cm.
The Power Development Plan 8 (PDP8), created by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) of Viet Nam, is anticipated to outline the country’s overall energy policy and energy mix for the years 2021–2030 with a look forward to 2045.