The establishment of the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture(GACSA) is a crucial initiative to assist developing countries likeVietnam in undertaking their green growth strategy, ensuring food andnutrition security, protecting the environment and adapting to climatechange.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture andRural Development Ha Cong Tuan delivered a speech at a ceremony tolaunch the alliance in New York on September 24. Following is thefull text of the speech.

“Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to be with you today and represent theGovernment of Vietnam at this Inaugural Meeting of the Global Alliancefor Climate Smart Agriculture.

As the host country ofthe Consultative Meeting on Global Alliance Climate Smart Agriculture inHanoi last June, we are very glad that the Global Alliance has beenlaunched today.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thefindings of the recent 5th IPPC report shows climate change is alreadyaffecting all four aspects of food security. Extreme events, drought andfood shortages are impacting the most vulnerable populations.

We understand that with a long coastline and two lowland riverdeltas, Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by climatechange. The agriculture production in Vietnam , specificallydependent to natural conditions, is the main living source of 70 percentof the country population and will be worst affected by the climatechange.

Being aware of the serious impacts of climate changeand the vital importance of climate change response, Vietnam is activelyjoining hand with international communities to apply the CSA practices.Series of CSA oriented projects are being implemented in Vietnamsuch as low carbon agriculture, system of rice intensification, lowcarbon rice farming, crop diversification from ineffective rice land.

Despite many recent efforts in Climate Change Adaptationand Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation for agriculture, we are facingwith many difficulties and challenges as scientific foundations arestill limited; public awareness of climate change impacts and proactiveresponse to climate change is not sufficient; climate change responsecapacities are still weak, especially infrastructure for agriculture andrural development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Based on our own practice, we believe that the establishment of GlobalAlliance for Climate Smart Agriculture is a very crucial initiative toassist developing countries like Vietnam to undertake their greengrowth strategy, ensuring food and nutrition security, environmentalprotection and climate change adaptation.

Thus, Vietnam fully supports the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.-VNA