Vietnam seeks green expertise

As a Vietnamese governmental representative to attend this forum, what do you expect from this gathering?

This Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) is very important to Vietnam as it is a high-level public-private partnership that brings together 200 invited global leaders from business, finance and government and civil society to collectively spur the global economy in a green and prosperous way.

In particular, the 3GF includes the participation of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and representatives from the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme as well as many environmental ministers from many countries.

The 3GF is focused on the key areas of energy and transport which cut across the pertinent themes of finance, regulatory and international markets, is also particularly helpful to Vietnam as it offers a space for us to challenge conventional thinking and find new green avenues to growth. At this event, we can gain experience and learn lessons about applying green technology from [other] economies, selecting them carefully before applying them to Vietnam´s new socio-economic development for 2011-2020.

As Ban Ki-Moon said in his speech, sustainable development coupled with green growth must be the key agenda item and top priority of all governments, so we must also pursue a low carbon economy in line with the world community’s efforts to turn the planet into a greener one. I think that green growth has to be at the core of a sustainable strategy to help us achieve targets of building a green economy. However, we will also have to select what international experiences and lessons are suitable to Vietnam, and assess their impacts before introducing them into the country. Vietnam is also fully committed to further deepening cooperation with the world’s community in building a greener future for all.

This forum takes place in Denmark, where green technology has seen strong development and whose green growth model is cited as one for the world to follow. What is your view on Vietnamese-Danish cooperation in green technology?

Denmark boasts high living standards, with good policies for social welfare and environmental protection and coping with climate change. This nation is also very generous in cooperating and supporting developing countries like Vietnam in environmental protection and coping with climate change. Danish support to Vietnam has been quite effective in the past, especially in projects about coping with global warming and improving effectiveness in energy usage. Climate change and ever-rising demand for energy are global challenges preceded at international forums. These challenges have also been given priority by the Vietnamese and Danish governments.

Notably, Denmark has been the first nation to finance the Vietnam National Target Programme on Responding to Climate Change’s 2009-2013 with total 200 million Kroner ($40 million).
Denmark boasts advanced knowledge and technology about energy and environment and Vietnam needs this expertise in the fields of wind energy, thermoelectricity and wastewater treatment. Besides, Denmark has also acted as a bridge in connecting many foreign investors’ clean development mechanism projects with Vietnam. I think that in the future, there will be more Danish green technology projects in Vietnam, particularly wind power and solar projects, from which Vietnam will be able to implement more similar projects itself. This will help the country reduce its heavy dependence on fossil energy, protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

What is your view on Vietnam’s application of green technology for its 2011-2020 socio-economic development?

Green development, including green growth, will be a focus for the sustainable development orientation of all countries in the world. If development fails to take into account environmental protection and coping with climate change, we will continue to be faced with long-term serious consequences.

The world is operating on a new plane, in which green technology is widely applied, especially by developed countries. In a developing country like Vietnam, where demand for green technology is large, and green development is being considered for the first time by the government, we must carefully select suitable roadmaps of achieving green growth for the country’s future. And social welfare and long-term economic development must be effectively ensured.

More specifically, we have to choose “horses for courses” in selecting green technologies from the world, given our limited financial resources. These technologies must be easy to be apply and multiply.

Do you believe, however, that Vietnam will have to seek more technical and financial support from the international community to construct a green economy?

Of course, international support is very important, especially when Vietnam’s financial health is limited. The government is working on a draft strategy framework on green development for 2011-2020 with a vision to 2030. For this strategy to be realised soon, Vietnam will need a great deal of technological and financial support from international organisations so that the country can achieve both green growth targets and sustainable development.