Deputy PM calls for better ASEM cooperation on climate action

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has called for closer cooperation among members of the ASEAN-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in responding to climate change.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh speaks at an ASEAN-Europe Meeting (ASEM) conference in Can Tho City on June 19 - PHOTO: HUYNH KIM

At an ASEM conference, titled “ASEM Conference on Climate Action to Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals - Ways Forward,” held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on June 19, Deputy PM Minh stated ASEM should reach a common understanding with cooperative actions in responding to climate change to ensure sustainable development, particularly through links to various initiatives and cooperation projects on water management, disaster risk reduction, energy, food safety, gender equality and poverty alleviation.

The deputy PM encouraged the promotion of multistakeholder partnerships for climate action, underscoring the importance of establishing a network of information sharing between policymakers, parliamentarians, research institutes, scholars, enterprises and localities in this field.

ASEM members should also enhance corporate social responsibility initiatives, public-private partnerships and the use and transfer of green, clean technology, he said.

In addition, developed members of the ASEM should provide financial support to developing members that are vulnerable to climate change, he continued.

With strong financial capacity as well as advanced and low-emission technology, developed ASEM members could provide access to financing, offer technology transfers and make smart investments in clean, renewable and environmentally friendly energy, raising the capacity for climate response to move toward green and low-emission growth.

Deputy PM Minh pointed out that Vietnam had proposed establishing a global mechanism for the reduction of plastic litter in oceans at the recent expanded G7 Summit in Canada. The proposal has generated support from the G7 Outreach countries.

It is imperative to redouble global efforts in addressing challenges endangering the maritime ecosystem and the oceans’ health, he noted.

Further, he expressed Vietnam’s deep appreciation for the cooperation and assistance programs on financing and technology transfers that many ASEM members have extended to Vietnam. These programs have effectively assisted Vietnam with sustainable water resource management, enhanced climate change monitoring and adaptation capacity and produced a response to the sea level rise and widespread saline intrusion in the Lower Mekong River Basin, thus improving Vietnam's capacity to contribute to the joint initiatives of the international community.

Deputy PM Minh also mentioned recent mega disasters and extreme weather conditions, notably the historic floods in India, South Asia, last year; extreme cold snaps in Europe and China; and the heat wave on record in Australia early this year.

He told the conference that Vietnam is among the top five countries worst hit by climate change and the sea level rise. The Mekong Delta, the nation's key agriculture production center, is one of the world’s three floodplains most vulnerable to a rise in sea level.

In the Mekong Delta, 2016 saw a record drought and worse saline intrusion than any seen in the last 100 years, causing an adverse impact on the livelihoods of millions of people.

If solutions to these challenges cannot be found, the achievements of humankind will be held back, Deputy PM Minh remarked

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The ASEM conference, jointly held by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Natural Recourses-Environment and Planning-Investment and the Can Tho City government, attracted 200 delegates from 53 ASEM member countries.

The conference features four key topics: integrating climate action with sustainable development goals, building the capacity to cope with climate change, ensuring the participation of stakeholders and promoting partnership. An expo themed, “Climate Change - Challenges and Opportunities for Asia-Europe Partnership,” will be included as well.

Huynh Kim