Vietnam has submitted its first Biennial Update Reports (BUR) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 20) held recently in Lima, Peru. As the second developing country in the world to do so, Vietnam illustrated her strong commitment to join the globe’s climate change resilience efforts, Nguyen Khac Hieu, deputy head of the Department of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change (DMHCC) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said at a press conference to inform the COP 20 outcomes in Hanoi on December 17. He noted that the country contributed constructively to the building of a new global pact on climate change adaptation to be reached in 2015 and other contents of the COP 20. The country’s efforts in dealing with the impact of climate change and proposals for hammering out a new universal treaty in the field were heard at the event, which took place from December 1-12. At the COP 20, the parties involved agreed to adopt the Lima Call for Climate Action with 22 clauses and one appendix as part of the UNFCCC. The new pact will apply for all nations, focusing on mitigating the impact of climate change; enhancing personnel capacity and technological transfer; mustering financial sources to carry out climate change adaptation projects in developing countries; and building a blueprint for the 2015 agreement. The Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the new agreement aim to keep the average global temperature rise below 2 Celsius Degrees. (Vietnamplus Dec 17)
