Viet Nam makes progress in promoting green growth

The meeting reviewed the implementation of Viet Nam’s Green Growth Strategy. Good practices, experiences and lessons learned showcased at the meeting inform the development and implementation of the national Green Growth Action Plan, serving as  important pathways towards implementing the Paris Agreement.

Many specific examples related to green investment projects with the participation of the private sector across Vietnam were presented, exchanged and shared at the meeting as a clear demonstration of the action of Vietnam in promoting the green growth implementation.

Experience in the implementation of Green Growth Action Plan in Quang Ninh province showed that the GGAP should be prepared upon scientific base and stakeholder consensus, GGAP provides priorities and that should be mainstreamed into the masterplans and implemented with timely support from the development partners. Work has continued at the national level as well that the GGAP should be prepared and implemented based on key sub-sectors, inherit efforts such as target programs.

Viet Nam has joined the Paris Agreement that was approved at the COP21 in November 2015, with commitments through the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). According to Dr. Nguyen The Phuong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, government agencies and development partners have then carried out different activities to promote the implementation of these commitments.

“To date, five government ministries and nearly 30 provinces/cities in Viet Nam have developed and implemented their Green Growth Action Plan,” said Dr. Nguyen The Phuong. “Many provinces/cities and businesses have identified this as an important task which is being implemented in different aspects: resource mobilization, institutional & policy improvement, capacity strengthening, and new technology application. More importantly, specific activities have yielded encouraging results and valuable lessons learned. In October 2016, the Government of Viet Nam approved the plan for Paris agreement and NDC implementation. These efforts contribute to concretizing Viet Nam's actions towards 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

UNDP Country Director Louise Chamberlain, who co-chaired the meeting with Dr. Nguyen The Phuong, offered a number of suggestions for advancing Viet Nam’s green growth agenda. She called on the Government for long term policies and commitments to minimize risks for investors, reform energy prices, investment promotion mechanisms and transformative approach to managing and supporting state-owned energy enterprises.

“Attracting investment and improving effectiveness of investment is essential to drive the economy towards green development,” said Ms. Louise Chamberlain. “Focusing on investment and improving effectiveness of key sectors such as coal-fired power, construction, transportation, energy-intense industrial processes such as cement, fertilizer and pulp and paper are key areas for potential energy saving, applying advanced technologies to reduce the GHGs that help for transformative action”.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Craig Hart, Deputy Mission Director of USAID Vietnam, emphasized the importance of domestic funding resources: "Securing international resources is very important, but we also need to think about innovative ways of developing domestic funding mechanisms. One example is the payment for forest environmental services scheme (PFES), which provides approximately $60 million in revenues annually in Viet Nam. Last year, nearly 20,000 individuals in rural communities received PFES payments for the first time, in exchange for ensuring the forests are protected."

Background Information:

The Ministry of Planning and Investment is the focal point for green growth, responsible for leading and coordinating with concerned ministries, sectors, People’s Committee of provinces and cities, collaborating with international development partners to mobilize financial resources to implement the Viet Nam Green Growth Strategy and Action Plan, and for acting as the Coordinating agency for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The workshop is organized by the Ministry of Planning and Investment with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Partners collaborating in organizing this event are the Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

Media Contacts:

 

Nguyen Thi Dieu Trinh  

Senior Official

Dept. of Science, Education, Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Planning and Investment

Addr: R. 508, Block A, 6B Hoang Dieu, Ha Noi

Tel: 84-8043310

Fax: 84-4-37475194

Email: trinhdieu@mpi.gov.vn

Nguyen Viet Lan

UNDP Communications Officer

Addr: 304 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh, Ha Noi

Tel: 84-4-38500158

Email: nguyen.viet.lan@undp.org