The Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, Nguyen Thai Lai, who is accompanying the Government leader, told the Vietnam News Agency that Dung will release a statement stressing that it is essential to address climate change, adding that there is no other choice.

“Along with moves being made by other nations, it is necessary for the entire world to make a concerted effort and introduce emergency measures to prevent and adapt to climate change”. Dung is likely to take this line in his speech to show that Vietnam takes climate change extremely seriously, according to the Deputy Environment Minister.

Lai added that Vietnam was convinced that any negotiations on climate change should adhere to the Kyoto protocol, which needs to be supplemented with the responsibilities of the largest emitters of green-house gases.

As one of the five countries to be the hardest hit by global warming and rising sea levels, Vietnam has sent its strongest ever delegation to the conference, which includes 26 specialists in various fields, and is firmly committed to tackling climate change.

The Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment, Pham Khoi Nguyen, will then chair a workshop on what Vietnam has been doing to cope with the problems brought on by global warming and rising sea levels.

He will also partner the Danish Minister of Environment and chair a seminar on forestry as well as holding bilateral talks with the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, the US and China.

By holding these meetings, the delegation intends to make other countries aware of the difficulties that Vietnam is facing, while asking for support to help the country adapt to climate change as well as ensuring sustainable socio-economic development, said the deputy minister.

So far, the Vietnamese delegation has taken part in many meetings, including those held by the G77 and China. The Vietnamese delegation has also proposed several recommendations for the Group’s draft statement, reiterating its stance that developed countries should make a stronger commitment to cutting green-house gas emissions in line with the UN’s framework convention and the Kyoto protocol. The country has also shown its readiness to cut deforestation-related carbon emissions.

“ Vietnam expects that the conference will reach an agreement on targets for green-house gas emissions, financial assistance, the transfer of technologies and increasing the capacity of developing countries who are the hardest hit by climate change,” concluded the deputy minister./.

(Source:VietnamPlus)