Viet Nam Youth Statement on Climate Action 2022
We, Vietnamese youth,
Aware that climate change is increasingly prominent in Vietnam, directly affecting the sustainability of our development and daily lives of people; particularly the minorities and marginalized groups (including people from ethnic minority communities, mountainous areas, remote and isolated areas, people with difficult circumstances, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+);
Recognize the importance of having a Vietnamese youth statement on the contribution of Vietnamese youth to climate change response and environmental protection activities;
Affirm that responding to climate change is not the responsibility of an individual or an organization, but a common responsibility of the whole society and of all countries in the world;
Call for immediate actions to limit global warming to well below 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels as well as to achieve the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change
To move forward with comprehensive climate action, Vietnamese youth declare that:
On net-zero emissions
We call on the Government to stop investing and opening of fossil fuel power plants from now to 2030, restrict financial institutions from investing in projects with high emission ratio; minimize the use of single-use plastic products, and aim to eliminate these products completely by 2030.
We recommend the Government, businesses, and financial institutions to have strong policies and action plans to transform the economy towards circularity and low emissions; enable favorable conditions for green financial development; shift investments toward low emission technology, climate resilient and nature-based solutions.
On education and training
We demand the Government to integrate climate change knowledge and contents into the national education curriculum, with locally adapted contents, in both Vietnamese and ethnic languages, at all levels of education from now to 2030.
We suggest local governments and stakeholders implement activities and campaigns to raise public awareness on climate change, promoting “green” lifestyles and action for climate.
On support to youth
We urge the Government, businesses, and social organizations to provide funds with a simple and transparent disbursement mechanism to financially support youth-led initiatives on climate change response and environmental protection.
We recommend the Government, businesses, and social organizations continue to develop capacity building programs for youth, enhance access to information for young people in all regions of the country, and empower local youth to deploy their indigenous knowledge, connect with experts, participate and share practical experiences at national and international dialogues and forums.
On youth participation in policy and decision-making processes
We recommend young people be given more spaces and opportunities to share voices and opinions as well as to participate in all planning and policy making processes locally and nationally, particularly in the key processes of the Nationally Determined Contribution, the National Strategy on Climate Change, the National Adaptation Plan, and laws and policies on climate change and the environment.
We urge the Government to create an enabling legal framework and basis to support individuals, initiators, movements, and youth organizations to take climate action, particularly creating favorable mechanisms to empower actions by minorities and marginalized groups and those directly affected by climate change; establish a working group on youth and climate policy to represent youth voices at national and international policy forums.
Moving ahead, we also developed a Youth4Climate Action Roadmap from now to 2030, with a vision to 2050. We recommend that the Government, businesses, and civil society organizations join hands to contribute and implement this roadmap with Vietnamese youth by allocating resources, enhancing cooperation with the Youth Climate Action Network and youth initiatives nationwide. We commit to continuing our best in taking action to realize these recommendations in the near future.
