Vietnam to strengthen international ties on climate change response

Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany, hosted the 62nd session of the Subsidiary Bodies under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (SB62) from June 16 to 26.

Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, the Deputy Director General of the Department of Climate Change under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the head of the Vietnamese delegation, attended numerous bilateral meetings to provide partners with information regarding Vietnam's climate change response policies and programs. Additionally, the discussions encompassed an exchange of perspectives regarding each nation's negotiation priorities.

Sharing experiences in the integration of agriculture into the carbon market

During a meeting with Ms. Anna Broadhurst, the Climate Change Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, the two parties deliberated on the implementation of the bilateral climate cooperation agreement that was signed on February 24, 2025. With a focus on three primary areas - climate adaptation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, and carbon market development - New Zealand reiterated its desire to deepen its cooperation with Vietnam.

In addition to proposing that Vietnam send delegates to a climate adaptation workshop and a regional Asia-Pacific meeting on carbon markets, New Zealand also suggested participating in collaborative activities in these two areas.

Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment proposed concrete collaboration activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with a particular emphasis on the agriculture sector. It is important to note that New Zealand has already incorporated agriculture into its carbon market and has offered to share its experience with Vietnam.

Additionally, Mr. Tuan requested assistance from New Zealand in the areas of training and capacity-building for greenhouse gas inventory reporting. This support was explicitly asked for for facilities and sectors that were identified as emission sources and are required to conduct inventories.

Enhancing the transparency of emissions data

The Vietnamese delegation also had the opportunity to meet with Ms. Ana Pejović from the Transparency Division of the UNFCCC Secretariat at SB62. The conversation focused on a new capacity-building initiative that was designed to enhance the quality of methane emissions data in the agriculture and waste sectors.

The UNFCCC Secretariat representative disclosed plans to conduct training workshops on GHG inventory and conveyed a desire to collaborate with Vietnam in order to conduct these trainings.

Vietnam, as per Mr. Tuan, is a signatory to the Global Methane Pledge, which mandates that signatories collectively reduce human-induced methane emissions by a minimum of 30% by 2030 in comparison to 2020’s levels. Additionally, the Prime Minister of Vietnam approved Decision No. 942/QD-TTg on the National Action Plan on Methane Emission Reduction through 2030 on August 5, 2022. Therefore, engaging in these training sessions would offer Vietnam a valuable opportunity to improve its GHG inventory capacity, with the assistance of UNFCCC experts. In order to implement future cooperation, Mr. Tuan suggested that both parties continue their discussions.

Intensifying the development capacity of the NDC

Mr. Philipp Behrens, Head of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), underscored Germany's keen interest in climate cooperation with Vietnam during a meeting with the German negotiation delegation. He urged Vietnam to consider joining the Climate Club, a new cooperation mechanism with 46 members, in order to receive technical assistance for the development of low-emission industries, including green steel and green cement.

Germany also provided Vietnam with information regarding the EU's ongoing process of formulating its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the emission reduction targets of the EU and Germany.

The Vietnamese delegation head informed Germany of Vietnam's progress in developing its third NDC (NDC 3.0) and expressed a desire to benefit from Germany's experience in establishing legal frameworks for climate change and operating carbon markets.

Mr. Tuan also convened a meeting with Mr. Deo Gabinete, Regional Manager of the Support Unit of the NDC Partnership (NDCP), and Ms. Prakriti, Vietnam focal point officer, to deliberate on Vietnam's advancements in NDC 3.0 as part of his endeavors to improve collaboration. The meeting included proposals to explore future cooperation with NDCP, especially in building a financial roadmap to implement NDC 3.0.