Vietnam supports Astra Zeneca’s climate action projects
VOV.VN - Vietnam is in dire need of solutions to greenhouse gas emission reduction, and it hopes to receive financial and technology transfer assistance from international organisations and firms, including Astra Zeneca, to realise its climate goal.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha was speaking at a reception in Hanoi on August 14 for Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of Astra Zeneca, who was on a working trip to Vietnam.
He said technology is the vaccine to respond to climate change, and developing countries like Vietnam urgently need support and access to different solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
As human health is closely linked to environmental health, the restoration and protection of the natural environment is very important to prevent and reduce the burden of disease costs related to water, air and waste pollution on people and society as a whole, he noted.
The Deputy PM welcomed Astra Zeneca’s ongoing project to plant 22.5 million trees in Vietnam and asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to work closely with Astra Zeneca to implement the project effectively.
He also thanked AstraZeneca for its valuable and timely support to Vietnam in COVID-19 prevention and control, contributing to efforts to combat the disease worldwide.
Nitin Kapoor for his part briefed his host on its ongoing projects in Vietnam to increase patient access to medicine, develop a sustainable health system, and improve public health, along with those projects on research and clinical trials of drugs and biological products.
Astra Zeneca is also coordinating closely with relevant agencies of Vietnam in undertaking a US$50 million project to plant 22.5 million trees on 30,500ha, in an attempt to develop biodiversity and support sustainable livelihoods of more than 17,000 households.
AstraZeneca is well aware of the close relationship between climate change, environmental pollution and human health, and it expects the success of the pilot project will inspire other organisations and businesses to take actions together for the climate goal, he said.
The group aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions it directly produces globally by 98% by 2026 from a 2015 baseline, halve the carbon footprint of the entire value chain by 2030.
At the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister also discussed Astra Zeneca’s recommendations regarding the harmonization of Vietnam’s regulations with international norms and practices in in production, clinical trials, authorization of drugs and biological products, as well as forest carbon credit management.
