Nguyen Hoang Nguyen, Minister Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the UN. Photo: VOV

Participants expressed concerns that climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss have negatively affected the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They called on the international community to strengthen partnerships and support developing countries in responding to climate and environmental challenges toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Nguyen Hoang Nguyen, Minister Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the UN, said that with more than 80% of sustainable development goals being behind schedule, countries need to enhance efforts to fully implement their commitments made at the SDG Summit 2023 and the recent Summit of the Future to bring the 2030 Agenda back on track.

Nguyen proposed a number of priorities that the UN and other countries should deal with in the future. First is to strengthen climate actions at the global, regional, and national levels and for development partners to increase financial support to developing countries to help implement their commitments.

Second is to improve the effectiveness of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in connection with corresponding national strategies.

Third is to continue efforts to protect the environment, handle pollution, and finalize an international agreement on preventing plastic waste in 2024.

Nguyen confirmed that Vietnam will keep on meeting its climate commitments, including net zero emission in 2050.