Vietnam has pledged to contribute US$1 million to the Green Climate Fund in the 2016-2020 period as part of the country’s effort to join hands with the international community in response to climate change.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement during his speech on Tuesday at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The session, which takes place from November 30 to December 11, is organized to achieve the 2020 global climate agreement with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C, according to the Vietnam Government Portal.

The implementation of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires the international community to establish strong political commitments and effective cooperation to strictly and effectively carry out the new global climate agreement, PM Dung proposed.

The premier also suggested that developed countries should take the lead in realizing their commitments and support developing nations to successfully implement the agreement.

Vietnam will carry out national programs, strategies and plans in response to climate change in all fields with realistic measures despite its economic difficulties until 2020, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the government chief as saying.

In the post-2020 period, the nation is committed to reducing eight percent of all gas emissions, which is anticipated to rise to 25 percent if it receives effective assistance from the international community, PM Dung said.

On behalf of the Vietnamese government and people, PM Dung expressed his appreciation of the international community's help, and hoped to receive more support from other countries and organizations in coping with climate change and in socio-economic development in general.

He also pledged that Vietnam will fulfill its responsibility at the end of the speech, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Aside from the conference, PM Dung, together with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Vice President of the World Bank Laura Tusk, also co-chaired a high-level dialogue on responding to climate change in the Mekong Delta region held in Paris on November 30, the news outlet said.

Strategies to adapt to climate change and the rise of sea level are integral to the region’s economic restructuring and shifting toward sustainable growth models, PM Dung said.

Those activities have been included in provincial development plans across the region, capitalizing on the strengths of each locality, he added.

The Vietnamese government always values the resources of international support, PM Dung asserted.

Vietnam has shown the international community its strong commitment and determination to effectively address issues around climate change, Vice President Tusk said.

Prime Minister Rutte also considered Vietnam one of the front runners in the world’s effort to cope with climate change and pledged to provide the Southeast Asian country with all possible support in the field.

The dialogue ended with a joint statement issued by Vietnam, the Netherlands and the World Bank, calling for global support in the Asian nation’s effort to respond to the changing climate conditions in the Mekong Delta.

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