ASOEN Viet Nam concludes 2025 review, sets tasks for 2026

On December 26, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment organized a conference to review the 2025 performance and set out tasks for 2026 of the Viet Nam Committee of the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN Viet Nam).

Promoting the role as ASEAN’s national focal point

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Le Cong Thanh emphasized that ASOEN Viet Nam has effectively fulfilled its role as the national focal point in ASEAN environmental cooperation, participating actively, proactively and responsibly in regional mechanisms, programs and initiatives.

Viet Nam contributed inputs to environmental matters in documents of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, and joined efforts to voice common regional positions on global issues, including the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment, and the ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and the Right to Peace towards Inclusive and Sustainable Development.

Notably, reports submitted to the Government for the approval of the Agreement on establishing the ASEAN Centre for Climate Change (under Resolution No. 276/NQ-CP) and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (under Resolution No. 372/NQ-CP) have created an important legal basis for strengthening regional cooperation in urgent environmental areas.

Regarding environmentally sustainable cities, Viet Nam successfully completed its role as Regional Lead of the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities for the 2023–2025 period, and took part in reviewing and approving the results of the 6th ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City Awards, in which Hoa Lu Town of Ninh Binh Province received recognition.

In nature conservation and biodiversity, ASOEN Viet Nam completed procedures for recognizing Pu Mat National Park, Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve and Xuan Thuy National Park as ASEAN Heritage Parks.

In environmental education, Viet Nam organized the 2025 ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam Awards under the theme “Plastic-Free Schools.” In the field of climate change, the working group contributed to developing the ASEAN Joint Statement on Climate Change to be presented at COP30 of the UNFCCC.

Directions for 2026

According to Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh, 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Viet Nam’s accession to ASEAN. This is an important milestone that requires changes in both mindset and role. Accordingly, Viet Nam should move beyond mainly commenting on plans, strategies and declarations, and take stronger leadership by proactively proposing initiatives for ASEAN consideration and approval.

To prepare for 2026, the Deputy Minister assigned the following key tasks:

The Climate Change Working Group should focus on supporting and sharing experience with regional countries in operating carbon markets, carbon taxation, emission quota allocation, developing NDC 3.0 and conducting greenhouse gas inventories.

Develop and propose regional projects on addressing pollution and managing urban air quality; enhancing capacity in solid waste and hazardous waste management, including household waste collection and segregation; strengthening recyclable waste recovery; and implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

The working groups on Marine and Coastal Environment and Water Resource Management should lead initiatives on marine plastic waste monitoring, reducing plastic discharge into the sea, and developing an ASEAN Action Plan on Marine Plastics with common indicators; or promoting cross-border cooperation along the Mekong and other transboundary river basins on plastic waste.

For environmental education, the Deputy Minister requested the Agriculture and Environment Newspaper to research and take the lead in proposing and implementing regional initiatives and projects on source-based waste segregation, sustainable consumption education, low-emission consumption, and promoting behavioral change towards environmentally friendly lifestyles.

Entering 2026, Viet Nam will host several major regional events, including: The 21st Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COP 21); The 21st Meeting of the Committee under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COM 21); The 11th Meeting of the ASEAN Task Force on Peatlands (ATFP 11).

In addition, Viet Nam will host the 36th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, the 13th Meeting of the ASEAN Heritage Parks Committee, the ASEAN Biodiversity Strategy Update Workshop, the ASEAN Natural Capital Assessment Workshop, and the ASEAN Workshop on the Technical Assistance Facility – Green Team Europe Initiative (TAF-GTEI).

Kieu Chi