France and Vietnam join forces to support low carbon transition

The Agence française de développement (AFD) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen the bilateral cooperation on the implementation of the reduction of carbon emission and energy transition in Vietnam.

Delegates attend the signing ceremony. Photo: AFD

The signing ceremony was held on November 10, with the presence of the French Minister of state for development and international partnership Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Tran Hong Ha, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Vietnam (MONRE), and Rémy Rioux, General Director of the Agence française de développement (AFD) on the occasion of COP27.

These activities will be financed by different budgets mobilized by AFD, including Facility 2050 and EU-funded WARM Facility (Water and Natural Resources Management Facility).

Minister Ha said at the event: “The signature of the MOU contributes to the quality of the Vietnam-French strategic partnership and asserts the efficiency of the long-term cooperation between MONRE and AFD.”

He said an economic development model with low carbon emissions and a circular economy is the prevailing tendency of the world. Vietnam joins its efforts with the international community to achieve a common climate goal. "International cooperation is one of its main pillars of action for implementing our national climate change strategy and our commitments to net zero."

The French Minister of state for development and international partnership, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, said: “France is fully committed to supporting all countries in their

climate action and green transition. Through this agreement, we will share our climate expertise and models to inform and guide Vietnam’s transition. This ambitious partnership shows our common commitment to the fight against climate change in Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and all over the world”.

Complementary to this memorandum, the two new reports based on the final results of AFD’s GEMMES Vietnam research project, entitled “National Climate Change Impact and

Adaptation – Final Report” and “The Mekong Delta Emergency – Climate and Environmental Adaptation Strategies to 2050” were officially delivered to MONRE Minister at the event. 

These reports, developed by French and Vietnamese researchers in close collaboration with IRD (Research Institute for development) and the Department of Climate Change of MONRE, build a solid scientific case for mainstreaming adaptation into development strategies and contribute to the public policy dialogue with the Vietnamese government, which has placed adaptation at the heart of its strategy.

Rioux concluded: “With the submission and publication of these reports, France and AFD Group reiterate their pledge to work with the Vietnamese government to strengthen its climate change adaptation policies. These reports carry useful and practical information for future policy planning and just transition and illustrate the quality of our Franco-Vietnamese partnership.” 

Being one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change, hazards, and

natural disasters with significant economic and social consequences (GEMMES Vietnam Report – COP26 in 2021), Vietnam has made at COP26 an ambitious commitment towards “net-zero emissions” by 2050. The choice of sustainable and low-carbon development must contribute to mitigating the climate crisis and accelerating the country’s green economic transition.