ASEAN climate change negotiators to enhance their capacity
Vietnamese and ASEAN climate change negotiators will deepen their strategic understanding of possible outcomes of the 21st Conference of Parties on Climate Change to be held in Paris in 2015.
Climate change negotiators in the region are attending a workshop in Hanoi from 19 to 21 August to strengthen their capacity for engaging in international climate negotiations. They will be exposed to international climate policy development under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. They will also learn the available negotiation space with regards to the most critical issues ahead of a new global climate agreement by 2015.
The workshop is hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and sponsored by UK Foreign Commonwealth Office.
As the strategic partner of Viet Nam, the UK has committed to supporting Viet Nam’s efforts in climate change to ensure its sustainable socio-economic development. Head of Prosperity of the British Embassy Hanoi, Andrew Holt, said:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is pleased to deliver this important training event because the UK is a global lead in climate change response and support to developing countries. I believe the training will help Viet Nam and other ASEAN member countries effectively engage in international negotiations on climate change and secure our chances of achieving the ambitious new global climate agreement we all want to see by 2015.
Climate change negotiation capacity building is one priority of Viet Nam. As the Chair of the ASEAN Climate Change Working Group, Viet Nam sees itself as a lead country and is eager to stimulate long-term regional cooperation and to provide a mechanism for further strengthening negotiating skills of ASEAN countries.
The United Nations Development Programme has been supporting similar workshops for Vietnamese and ASEAN negotiators for several years already. According to Bakhodir Burkhanov, Deputy Country Director of UNDP:
It is important that UNFCCC Parties have started to consider real negotiation text. UNDP believes that it is critical that there will be a balanced consideration of mitigation and adaptation actions in the future climate agreement, and that developing and developed countries come to mutual understanding and broad agreements on that as soon as possible. This requires that negotiators have a real in-depth understanding of many complex issues.