Green transition is a top priority

It is no coincidence that the super typhoon Yagi last September was mentioned quite a lot in most of the shares at the Green Economy Forum and Exhibition (GEFE) 2024, which opened in Ho Chi Minh City on October 21.

Chuyển đổi xanh là ưu tiên hàng đầu — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son (front row, second from right) visits the agricultural product booth of Vietnamese enterprises at the forum - Photo: N.BINH

The clear reminder of the urgency of climate change was also the key message from leaders and experts to further strengthen the business community’s interest in promoting the green transition. Demonstrating interest in the potential of the circular economy in Vietnam, more than 200 booths from many domestic and international organizations and businesses gathered at GEFE 2024, including booths from more than 13 countries.

EU wants to support Vietnam in green economy

On the first day of GEFE, Vietnamese businesses had a series of meetings and direct exchanges with European business partners about business cooperation, investment and import-export opportunities, especially discussing advanced technology transfer projects in the fields of green production, renewable energy and circular economy. Mr. Tran Chi Thao, director of KLC Tech Company, said that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dutch Golden Gate BCE Group in developing high-tech agriculture , and the potential product that the two sides are aiming for is compressed grass pellets. The fuel is gradually replacing traditional wood pellets because it meets the international trend of decarbonization production. "Dutch businesses will provide technical support, market research and product output for Vietnamese goods," said Mr. Chi Thao. At this year's event, the Netherlands participated in the largest pavilion, introducing more than 50 businesses in the fields of water management, circular economy, logistics and agriculture... "Climate and sustainable development challenges require collaborative solutions that exploit the strengths of both management agencies and the private sector, as well as research units and social organizations," said Dutch Ambassador Kees van Baar, expressing the spirit of the Dutch delegation at the event. In addition, Dutch Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Daniel Stork pointed out that many Vietnamese businesses are exporting to Europe and especially the Netherlands, so green transformation solutions that meet market requirements are something that needs to be implemented. "We have a program called Ready to Export, which aims to provide necessary knowledge to small and medium-sized enterprises on how they can continue exporting to the European Union (EU)," said Mr. Stork. British Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Alexandra Smith also assessed that Vietnam with its long coastline has great potential for offshore wind power, as well as Vietnam's success with solar energy, along with its goal of clean hydrogen energy. "We are here to support," Ms. Smith stated the UK's message when attending GEFE. Introducing the booth built with sustainable and natural materials such as bamboo at GEFE, Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Thomas Gass wanted GEFE to be a place to encourage attendees to raise awareness, emphasizing that Vietnam's beautiful environment belongs to its own people. "When a country is close to the sea, people can throw trash into the ocean and see that the trash disappears in just a few hours, drifting far away. So let's create motivation, let's remind people that this beautiful Vietnamese environment belongs to them," Mr. Gass shared.

Green economic development is a strategic choice

Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas noted that there are three important tasks for businesses, governments and citizens. The world today uses resources at an unsustainable level, so how can we effectively regenerate these resources? Therefore, circular economy initiatives need to continue. Second, there is a need for a major and immediate change in the way we interact with the Earth, in a more sustainable way through existing commitments and action frameworks. To do this, financial funding is needed. The EU has doubled this figure to 7 billion euros. Finally, there is the story of combating deforestation. This is an urgent factor to ensure that all products are made from sustainable raw materials. Stories about the circular economy, green transition, and green finance were discussed specifically through the discussions. Sharing with the European business community, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son emphasized that Vietnam is determined to build a green and sustainable economy, while participating in the common effort in the fight against global climate change. In a volatile world, green transformation, green economic development is still an inevitable trend, a strategic choice for countries and a hope for future generations. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister happily said: Vietnam has issued a mechanism for direct electricity trading between renewable energy power generation units and large electricity users and plans to pilot a carbon credit trading floor in 2025. In addition, a group of solutions that are also being actively implemented is to unlock resources to respond to climate change, especially in the Mekong Delta. In just a short time, the Government has removed difficulties and accelerated the implementation of 16 sustainable development projects with a loan of about 2.5 billion USD. According to Mr. Bui Thanh Son, green economy is a breakthrough area in cooperation between Vietnam and the EU. Therefore, in the coming time, we will continue to promote sustainable trade and develop green supply chains through more effective implementation of the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), early ratification of the Vietnam - EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to develop bilateral cooperation commensurate with the potential and desires of both sides. The two sides will jointly research and implement a number of lighthouse cooperation projects to promote the public-private partnership model, multi-stakeholder cooperation on green transformation on the basis of maximizing the comparative advantages of each side. "We are ready to work with the EU to promote green growth initiatives through sharing experiences and stories on promoting low-emission agricultural development, green energy transformation, renewable energy development, green hydrogen, promoting the implementation of JETP to become a model of cooperation and a bridge to further develop EU - ASEAN relations," said Mr. Son.

Proposing that the EU continue to maintain ODA for Vietnam

Also at the event, French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet said that France is ready and willing to provide its industrial expertise for projects in the fields of high-speed railways, nuclear energy, green hydrogen, etc. in Vietnam. "We are here for Vietnam and hope that through this forum, we can help Vietnam find solutions to current outstanding issues," Mr. Brochet affirmed. Emphasizing the importance of these partnerships, EU Ambassador to Vietnam - Mr. Julien Guerrier - shared that GEFE is a testament to the power of public-private cooperation, where trade and climate action can complement each other. "Vietnam is not only an important partner of Europe but also plays a key role in the EU-ASEAN partnership," Mr. Julien Guerrier affirmed. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son suggested that the EU continue to maintain ODA for Vietnam, focusing on urgent areas for Vietnam at present such as strengthening public administration capacity, green economy, digital and circular economy. From there, increase exchanges and mutual support at multilateral mechanisms on green growth, energy transition and other strategic areas.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chuyen-doi-xanh-la-uu-tien-hang-dau-20241022082101736.htm