PM Pham Minh Chinh attends opening ceremony of COP26

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (left) bumps elbows with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson

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Pham is expected to deliver a speech at the COP26 to reaffirm Viet Nam's resolve and commitment to join the international community in dealing with climate change - one of the human being's greatest challenges today.

The COP26 draws the attendance of 120 State and Government leaders who are expected to determine whether humanity can drive forward the urgent action needed to avoid catastrophic climate change.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres greets Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on arrival to COP26

As the world experiences record temperatures and extreme weather pushing the planet dangerously close to climate catastrophe, the need for urgent action at COP26 has never been clearer. 

Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley highlighted the dire impacts of climate change on the survival of countries in the Pacific and Caribbean regions, and stressed the need to address financing, transformation, and adaptation issues to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. She said the current situation is a "red alarm" for the G7 and G20 countries.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced that the G20 countries will stop providing funds for coal-fueled power projects by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recommended that countries commit themselves at the highest level and emphasized the need to form financial and technological alliances to aid developing nations in green growth and protecting vulnerable people against the effects of climate change.

COP26 President Alok Sharma said COP26 brings the major emitting countries face to face with the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The World Leaders Summit will send a clear signal to negotiators to be as ambitious as possible and agree to a negotiated outcome that accelerates action this decade.

The Summit will also underscore that the Paris Agreement is working, with increased commitments on finance, emissions and adaptation as we see the first crank of the Paris Agreement ratchet. 

Moving from the promise of Paris, announcements in key sectors will start to show how Glasgow will deliver. This includes new commitments on consigning coal to history, electric cars, reducing deforestation and addressing methane emissions./.

By Huong Giang