Leveraging climate and biodiversity protection

This message was delivered at the workshop "From International Commitments to Local Practices in Climate and Biodiversity Protection", jointly organized by the Department of Climate Change (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on September 10 in Ha Noi. The event is part of the German Federal Government's International Climate Initiative (IKI).

Emphasizing the workshop's theme, Mr. Andreas Kuebler, Director of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) at the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, stated: Turning commitments into practical actions is the major challenge for current international climate change response and biodiversity protection. Global goals only make sense when translated into clear local changes, while also promoting the community's crucial role in implementing greenhouse gas emission mitigation, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation solutions.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Quang, Acting Deputy Director of the Department of Climate Change (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), climate change and biodiversity loss are directly impacting socio-economic development, people's livelihoods, and the resilience of localities.

Highlighting the bilateral relationship, Deputy Director Nguyen Tuan Quang stated that through the IKI Initiative, the German Government has provided long-term and practical support to Viet Nam. Programs and projects under IKI have actively contributed to supporting the implementation of Viet Nam's climate and biodiversity conservation goals.

To date, IKI has supported about 106 projects, with bilateral projects accounting for over EUR 90 million in these fields. This IKI support is extremely valuable, helping Viet Nam implement the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

At the workshop, representatives from central and local agencies, along with development partners, discussed the implementation of commitments at the grassroots level, identifying both opportunities and challenges. From there, the parties shared lessons learned and proposed solutions to increase the effectiveness of practical actions, emphasizing the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships and the requirement to mainstream gender elements to create synergy.

The discussion focused deeply on policy implementation in the context of administrative reform, decentralization, and organizational restructuring through two major themes. On climate, the parties clarified coordination mechanisms among government levels, development partners, and relevant stakeholders to strengthen governance capacity, optimize coordination, and clearly define accountability on related issues.

On biodiversity conservation, many opinions proposed practical adaptation solutions to maintain conservation capacity amid structural upheavals, personnel fluctuations, and management changes.

Opinions agreed that achieving sustainable results requires strengthening inter-sectoral coordination, promoting community-led initiatives, and closely linking local plans with viable financial resources. In particular, multi-level partnerships must be tightened to enhance climate resilience and protect ecosystems in Viet Nam.