The Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have emphasized the urgent and potentially irreversible threat that climate change poses to human societies and the planet, which the world community has acknowledged. The successful reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions requires effective and immediate global action, with the broadest possible cooperation of all countries. Additionally, countries are urged to collaborate in implementing climate adaptation measures, particularly by strengthening the resilience of developing countries and regions vulnerable to climate change's adverse effects. As a result, it is not surprising that commitments to climate change mitigation and adaptation have recently expanded beyond wealthy polluting countries to include developing countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. This is evident in the case of Viet Nam, one of the ten countries most heavily affected by climate change, which has recently shown firm commitments at COP26 and 27, including pledging with nearly 150 countries to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century, joining more than 100 countries in the Commitment to Reduce Global Methane Emissions by 2030, joining 140 countries in the Glasgow Declaration of Leaders on Forests and Land Use, joining 48 countries in the Global Declaration on the transition of coal power to clean energy, and participating in the Global Adaptation Action Coalition with 150 countries. These efforts demonstrate the incredible determination of Viet Nam and other developing countries to address climate change, but they also present significant challenges in selecting and implementing appropriate policies, given the lack of experience in policymaking and the shortage of finance for combating this phenomenon.
The University of Economics and Law, VNU-HCM (UEL), Hanoi Law University (HLU), and Hue University of Law (HUL) will jointly organize an international hybrid conference entitled "Environmental Protection and Climate Change Policies and Law 2023: International and National Legislation Reaching Net-Zero Emissions - the Perspective of Developing Countries''. This conference aims to provide a platform and open dialogue for scholars, researchers, policymakers, lawyers, people affected by environmental protection and climate change law and policies and other interested parties to discuss and share their research, proposal and thoughts on these interesting areas of law.