Vietnamese youths act in response to climate change
The Department of Climate Change under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) in coordination with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has recently organised a writeshop to update the Special Report “Youth for Climate Action in Vietnam.”
The event, from August 18 to 20, took place at the time when countries are preparing for the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) to seek solutions to issues mentioned in the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
According to UNDP, the Special Report “Youth for Climate Action in Vietnam” was co-written by 20 young authors from diverse backgrounds, representing approximately 900 youths nationwide.
The report points out that youths face four major bottlenecks in undertaking climate action: financial constraints, lack of support from stakeholders, skills limitations, and technological limitations.
To unblock these bottlenecks, the report recommends ten accelerators, which include establishing a youth network for climate, and launching a climate learning hub.
Head of the Department of Climate Change Tang The Cuong said the report should be more comprehensive so that the UNDP and the MoNRE can submit it to COP27 at the end of this year.
Young people should play a pioneering role in climate change adaptation in Vietnam, enhance coordination with their peers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in this regard, and participate in global youth forums, he said.
Patrick Haverman, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Vietnam, stressed that UNDP is resolved to work together with its partners, especially the MoNRE, to promote a favourable environment for young citizens to join the transition towards a greener and clearer future.
