Hanoi (VNA) - A kick-off meeting was held in Hanoi on March 15 tolaunch the project on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transportsector, the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) reported.

The event was co-chaired by Vietnam’s Vice Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuanand First Secretary and Deputy Head of Development Cooperation at the GermanEmbassy in Hanoi Helene Paust.

The “Support the Ministry of Transport to implement Vietnam’sNDC under the framework of the NDC Transport Initiative for Asia” (NDC-TIA)project will contribute to the implementation of Vietnam’s NationallyDetermined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement on climate change.

At the launching ceremony, Tuan revealed that last September 2020, Vietnam wasone of the first 20 countries to submit its updated NDC to the UNFCCCSecretariat, adding that compared to the first NDC submitted in 2015, themitigation contribution of the updated NDC has increased in terms of bothvolume and percentage.

Vietnam has committed to reduce its total GHG emissions by 9 percent comparedto the Business-as-usual (BAU) scenario and by up to 27 percent withinternational support received through bilateral and multilateral cooperation,as well as through the implementation of new mechanisms under the ParisAgreement, Tuan noted.

The NDC-TIA project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for theEnvironment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) through theInternational Climate Initiative (IKI), and jointly implemented by GIZ incollaboration with the MoT’s Department of the Environment, the InternationalCouncil on Clean Transportation (ICCT), and the World Resources Institute(WRI). The goal of the project is to contribute to Vietnam’s NDC by supportingthe design of a legal framework on low-carbon transport, enhancingstakeholders’ capacity, and reducing GHG emissions.

The project will provide technical support to the Ministry of Transport tobuild mechanisms, policies and a roadmap on e-mobility development at nationaland city levels, promoting the introduction and sustainable development ofadvanced, modern and zero-emissions electric vehicles in Vietnam.

It is also aimed at building GHG emissions mitigation scenarios for thetransport sector to 2050 in the direction of low-carbon development andintegration into Vietnam's NDC, developing regulations on energy efficiency forroad motor vehicles, establishing an online system for the measurement,reporting and verification (MRV) of GHG emissions and mitigation measures fortransport sub-sectors including road, rail, inland waterways, maritime, andaviation to enhance transparency regarding GHG emissions in the transportsector.

Rapid economic growth, urbanisation, and motorisation have resulted in highertraffic volumes in Vietnam as well as in countries throughout Asia.

“With its 2020 NDC, Vietnam has shown its intention to mitigate climate change.I wish the NDC-TIA project great success as it works to strengthen the policyframework for low-carbon development and reduce greenhouse gas emissions intransport, which together will make a significant contribution to Vietnam’sambitious NDC,” the VOV quoted Helene Paust as saying.

The meeting was attended by more than 80 representatives from the Ministry ofTransport, other relevant ministries, departments, directorates, andauthorities, and representatives of departments of transport from major citiesand provinces. The meeting also had the honour of welcoming virtualpresentations from the ICCT and the WRI.

During the meeting, participants exchanged experiences on the development ofroadmap for electric mobility, fuel economy, and the development of low-carbontransport. These exchanges will prove invaluable for the effectiveimplementation of the project.

The project’s funding, which is expected to run until the end of December 2023,is being provided by the German Federal Government through 4,000,000 EUR innon-refundable ODA managed and disbursed through GIZ, with an in-kindcontribution of 400,000 EUR from Vietnam through human resources and facilitiesprovided by the Ministry of Transport./.