On November 19, on the sidelines of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 29) in Azerbaijan, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh had a bilateral meeting with Mr. Simon Watts - Minister of Climate Change of New Zealand.
At the meeting, the two sides discussed each country's efforts to respond to climate change and bilateral cooperation activities in recent times. According to Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh, Viet Nam is one of the countries heavily affected by climate change and has made strong commitments, including a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 and a comprehensive implementation plan.
Minister Simon Watts shared that New Zealand has the second oldest greenhouse gas emission quota trading system in the world, so it can share many experiences with Viet Nam. New Zealand proposed that the two ministries could include this content in the Cooperation Agreement next year, within the framework of the New Zealand Prime Minister's visit and working session to Viet Nam on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This will be one of the main documents signed under the witness of the two countries' senior leaders.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh speaks at the bilateral meetingAccording to Mr. Simon Watts, reducing emissions in agriculture could be a priority for cooperation between the two countries based on their existing strengths. At COP 29, New Zealand decided to contribute 20 million USD to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support climate change response efforts in Southeast Asia, and supported the establishment of a new global climate finance target for the upcoming period.
At the meeting, the two sides also mentioned the potential for cooperation in the field of climate change in particular and the field of environmental resources in general. Some proposals of the Joint Cooperation Agreement of the two Ministries are expected to include: Policy dialogue on climate change and technical cooperation on carbon accounting exchange and implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement; climate change adaptation policy and climate research; nature-based solutions in sustainable forest management, blue carbon; greenhouse gas emission reduction; cooperation in the field of environmental protection....
Mr. Simon Watts - New Zealand Minister of Climate Change shared New Zealand's strengths in responding to climate change and protecting the environment.With a number of priorities in the field of climate change, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment proposed that New Zealand support Viet Nam in implementing Vietnam's commitments at COP26, implementing the National Strategy on Climate Change for the period up to 2050, the Nationally Determined Contributions in 2020, 2022 and implementing NDC3.0 for the period 2025-2035 that Viet Nam is developing.
Scene of the bilateral meeting