Ministries of Vietnam, Japan Extend Joint Agreement on Environment

Vietnamese Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha and Japanese Minister of the Environment Koizumi Shinjiro on August 25 signed to extend the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on environmental cooperation, local media reported. The ministerial-level meeting was part of the sixth Vietnam-Japan Environmental Policy Dialogue between the two ministries, which was held online for the first time. Climate change mitigation and adaptation, marine waste management, environmentally sustainable cities, and air and water pollution are among areas targeted by Vietnam and Japan in the time ahead. The two sides also pushed to join hands in environmental protection for chemical activities, environmental technology, measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), low-carbon technology, bio-diversity preservation, and other issues related to environmental protection and improvement. Speaking at the event, Minister Ha suggested both sides step up bonds in climate change response, natural disaster combat, environmental protection, and ocean plastic waste management. In reply, Minister Koizumi expected the two countries to work towards the goal of reducing the use of fossil fuels, and managing, collecting and treating marine plastic waste. (Bo Tai Nguyen Moi Truong, monre, english.VOV)