Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) early Friday morning (Vietnam time) to attend the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) and other activities at the invitation of the UAE government.

The Vietnamese government leader and his wife Le Thi Bich Tran, along with their entourage, were welcomed at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai by representatives from the COP28 organizers and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

UAE Ambassador to Vietnam Bader Almatrooshi and Vietnamese Ambassador to the UAE Nguyen Manh Tuan were present at the reception.

Upon his arrival, PM Chinh had talks with UAE Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization Abdulrahman Al Awar as well as UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla Bin Touq Al-Marri before attending the COP28, which opened the same day in Dubai and will last until December 12.

The event is expected to draw around 70,000 participants, including government leaders from 197 countries, EU officials, heads of non-governmental organizations, business representatives, youth delegates, and other related parties. 

The COP28, for which the UAE has the presidency, “is a decisive moment to act on climate commitments and prevent the worst impacts of climate change,” according to a press release from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The conference takes place as this year is already known to be the hottest period ever recorded in humankind, “as the impacts of the climate crisis wreak unprecedented havoc on human life and livelihoods around the world,” the UNFCCC said.

At the event, PM Chinh will reaffirm Vietnam's determination to strengthen international cooperation in climate change response, as well as the country’s relevant commitments including its 2050 net-zero emissions target, according to ambassador Tuan.  

As part of his four-day trip, Chinh will attend and speak at the World Climate Action Summit, scheduled for December 1-2 within the framework of the COP28.  

The PM will join General Director of UK-based Standard Chartered Bank Michele Wee in co-chairing an event to mobilize funds for the implementation of Vietnam's commitments on climate change.

Chinh will also deliver a speech at the announcement ceremony for Vietnam’s Resource Mobilization Plan (RMP) under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) announced by Vietnam and the International Partners Group last year, as part of the JETPs that serve as financing mechanisms between developed and developing countries in which the former provide funding for the latter to transition to green energy.

Among tens of other activities, the Vietnamese government chief will witness the signing of memorandums of understanding between the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and its partners, and between Vietnamese businesses and banks with their counterparts.

He will also speak at the Vietnam-UAE Business Forum and meet with many leaders of international organizations and large corporations of the UAE.

Since the 2021 COP26 summit, where PM Chinh pledged that Vietnam would achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the country has launched a series of relevant action programs, including the establishment of a national steering committee to fulfill Vietnam’s COP26 commitments.

Regarding the relationship between Vietnam and the UAE, whose diplomatic relations were set up 30 years ago, Ambassador Tuan said that the PM’s ongoing trip to the Middle East country will help lift the bilateral cooperation in multifaceted fields to a new height, according to the Vietnam News Agency

The visit, along with Chinh’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia, will contribute to promoting Vietnam’s ties with Gulf countries, bringing the UAE and other member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council closer to the Southeast Asian nation, Tuan said.

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