Source: Voice of Vietnam (Viet Nam)
Source type: Radio
Published on: 07 Sep 2010

ASEM countries should further promote bilateral and multilateral co-operation to cope with climate change, said deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Tran Hong Ha, at the closing ceremony of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on Climate Change in Ha Long City on September 7.

More than 140 domestic and overseas delegates from 18 ASEM member nations heard 14 presentations on three main issues, including the impact of climate change, vulnerability and adaptive measures; opportunities and challenges for low carbon economies; and co-operative opportunities within ASEM to improve efficiency and cope with climate change.

The participants agreed that climate change has become more complex in its ASEM member countries, and poor assessments of its impacts and the region’s vulnerability caused difficulties in implementing necessary measures. However, the weakness opened opportunities for financial co-operation and improved capacity research and technology transfer through co-operative agreements among member countries that shared information and experiences in dealing with climate change.

The two-day forum has helped strengthen co-operation among ASEM countries just before the upcoming 16^th Conference of all the signatories to the UN Convention on Climate Change (COP 16) in Mexico and in the context of the international community’s efforts to keep the average global temperature no higher than two degrees Celsius above what it was before the industrial revolution.

The outcome of the forum will be reported back at the 8^th ASEM Summit, which will take place in Brussels, Belgium, in November 2010.

By successfully hosting the ASEM forum, Vietnam has highlighted its proactive and responsible role, alongside other ASEM members, in coping with climate changes as well as its contributions to Asia-Europe cooperation.