UNDP pledges to support Vietnam in green energy transition

According to the UNDP Resident Representative, the UNDP is initiating assessments on the impact of phasing-out coal power and energy transition in Vietnam and defining what these processes would specifically mean for the country.

Workers are checking the solar panel operating system at Hong Phong 4 Solar Power Plant in Hong Phong commune, Bac Binh district, Binh Thuan province

As Vietnam will embark on a greener and more resilient path in the next three-five years, including the JETP, the country needs to accelerate preparations for a package of public instruments to de-risk investments in renewable energies and design a just and feasible process to phase out coals in both state-owned enterprises and foreign-invested coal power plants, she suggested.

UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Ramla Al Khalidi

She said the Country Programme Document sets out the areas of cooperation between the UNDP and the Vietnamese Government until 2026.

Accordingly, UNDP Vietnam is supporting the Government in the areas of poverty reduction, human development, increasing citizens’ participation and human rights, increasing transparency and accountability, effectively scaling up climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk management, promoting circular economy and the sustainable deployment of clean and renewable energy with a just process, and the sustainable management of natural resources.

Institutionally, the UNDP has contributed to various aspects to strengthen Vietnam’s readiness for climate change governance, institutional capacities, and regulatory frameworks to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes.

“This includes our recent contribution to support the key enhancement of Vietnam’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and the recent National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS) until 2050 to realise the net-zero ambition,” she said.

An electric car charging station in Cat Hai district, Hai Phong city

Currently, the UNDP is working directly with local communities and provinces to strategically channel finance into payments for ecosystem services, nature-based tourism, and private contributions in nature-positive solutions.

Khalidi noted that achieving a just energy transition will require an unprecedented investment effort, which will oblige everyone - government, business, community and household - to realign priorities and indeed to make some personal sacrifices.