DUBAI, UAE – COP28, the UN Climate Conference, commenced in Dubai on Thursday with a focus on four priority areas: the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, the Global Goal for Adaptation, technology transfer and climate finance, and advancing climate finance to fulfill pre-2020 commitments.
“These thematic events will greatly contribute to strengthening international cooperation and creating a consensus on the negotiation table,” said Do Hung Viet, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
COP28 will convene a series of events focusing on four cross-cutting themes: technology and innovation, inclusion, frontline communities, and finance. These events will bring together a diverse range of stakeholders to discuss and develop solutions to the climate crisis.
In their first priority, developing countries are seeking the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund with a transparent mechanism to facilitate access. The fund was established at COP 27 to provide financial assistance to nations most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Viet Nam’s second priority is advancing the framework for the Global Goal for Adaptation, which aims to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability to climate change.
Their third priority is fostering technology transfer and providing financial support for developing countries in their pursuit of just energy transition and low-emission development to achieve net-zero emissions.
The fourth priority is advancing climate finance to fulfill the commitments for the pre-2020 period with the objective of mobilizing US$100 billion annually and escalating commitments for the periods until 2025 and 2030.
“The international community is facing a common challenge of climate change that no single country, however strong, can handle alone,” Viet observed. “Thus, the consistent message that Viet Nam wishes to convey at COP28 is that, more than ever before, we need to strengthen international cooperation and unity.”
On its part, Viet Nam will continue to uphold high responsibility in resolutely implementing its climate pledges, including the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, he affirmed.
Viet Nam is one of the first three developing countries to establish a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and will continue to work closely with international partners in implementing it, contributing to the joint efforts to protect this planet.
COP28 coincides with the 52nd National Day of the UAE on December 2 and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and the UAE (1993-2023).
“Building upon the past 30-year journey of bilateral ties, I am confident that Viet Nam and the UAE will continue to record new progress. In such efforts, climate action constitutes an area of vast untapped potential for further collaboration,” Viet noted.
Viet Nam wishes to bolster its effective cooperation with the UAE in green transition, development of a sustainable agricultural sector that is resilient against the impacts of climate change, and just energy transition with the participation of pioneering enterprises in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.