(VOVWORLD) - At the recent COP26 Conference in the UK, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Vietnam is making every effort to address climate change, develop its economy, and improve the lives of people who have been affected by climate change. The Prime Minister said this effort aims to contribute to the universal goal of development for human rights.
 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the COP26 Conference in the UK |
As soon as the Kyoto Protocol took effect in 2005, Vietnam adopted a number of policies and laws concerning climate change, water resources, biodiversity, agriculture, forestry, construction, irrigation, transportation, energy, industry, health care, and the environment.
The 2014 Law on Environmental Protection has a section on climate change response which includes general regulations on climate change response and integration of climate change response into strategies and plans for socio-economic development, management of greenhouse gas emissions and ozone layer depleting substances, renewable energy development, environmental-friendly production and consumption, waste-to-energy, environmental science and technology, and enhancement of international cooperation in climate change response.
In order to ensure human rights in the context of climate change, Vietnam has strengthened its legislation on climate change and integrated climate change response into policies and laws in compliance with related international treaties and conventions that Vietnam has signed. Vietnam has promoted responsibility for climate change response in production, business, and service activities of organizations and individuals. Vietnam has also ensured people’s right to access information on the environment as a fundamental human right. In the current context, the right to access information on environment is an effective way to get organizations and individuals to provide information and protect the legitimate rights and interest of the people in the enforcement of policies and regulations on climate change.
Ensuring human rights in legislation on climate change in Vietnam is closely associated with environmental protection planning. Vietnam has adopted a long-term and comprehensive vision to protect the environment and associate environmental protection with socio-economic development in order to map out other development plans, particularly sustainable development plans.
Ensuring human rights in legislation on climate change is also associated with the development of strategies and plans on socio-economic development and investment projects. All plans on socio-economic development and sector development are required to have an environment impact assessment.
Ensuring human rights in legislation on climate change is associated with the management of GHS emission, collection of energy from waste, environmental-friendly production and consumption, and environmental science and technology. Vietnam prioritizes research and the application of technology in climate change response.
Vietnam’s ensuring of human rights in legislation is also associated with sustainable exploitation of natural resources in line with the goal of protecting the environment and creating sustainable development.
In addition to fine-tuning its policies and laws and developing scenarios to respond to climate change, Vietnam has strengthened cooperation and participated in international mechanisms concerning human rights protection in the context of climate change. Since 2014, Vietnam has participated in drafting and submitting to the UN Human Rights Council several resolutions on ensuring the rights of the vulnerable, like women, children, and the elderly in climate change. The Vietnamese government has demonstrated its strong political will in the global response to climate change. Not only at the COP26 conference but also at forums on international cooperation in climate change or diplomatic meetings, Vietnamese leaders have affirmed their determination to realize international commitments and enhance international cooperation in protecting human rights in climate change response.