8:15 – 8:30   Welcoming remarks

Leader of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Viet Nam

Leader of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Viet Nam

ACHIM STEINER, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, delivered by Luis Felipe López Calva, ASG, UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, on behalf of Achim Steiner.

H.E. PHẠM BÌNH MINH, Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam

8:30 – 9:15   Opening keynote address:

Keynote 1: JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ, Professor of Columbia University, and a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences

Questions and Answers: Moderator, Dr. NGUYỄN HÙNG SƠN, Vice-President, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam

9:15 – 10:45 Session 1 - Green recovery and resilience

The economic recovery from COVID-19 offers an historic opportunity to pivot to a more sustainable and inclusive model of development. A Green Recovery from Covid-19 could reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 25% below the business-as-usual scenario by 2030, increasing the probability of keeping temperature rise to below 2-degree Celsius, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. It would support movement to a green and circular economy, investing in zero-emissions technologies and infrastructure, scaling up deployment of clean power generation and energy efficiency measures, phasing out unabated coal power generation, and investing in large-scale climate change adaptation and sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity.

What have other countries done to address this set of difficult decisions in the transition to low carbon green and circular economy?

What are opportunities available to prompt countries to transition to clean energy? Have these countries seen any benefits since their transitions?

Introduction to the Session 1: Moderator, H.E. Ambassador of Sweden to Viet Nam ANN MÅWE

Address: Dr. YANNICK GLEMAREC, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund

Address: H.E. Ambassador CHO HYUN, 26th Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, and former First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs during the development of the Korean Green New Deal

Panel Discussion 1

H.E. LÊ CÔNG THÀNH, Vice Minister, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Viet Nam

Dr. AJAY MATHUR, Director General, International Solar Alliance, member of the Prime Minister of India’s Council on climate change, co-chair of the Global Energy Transitions Commission, and former Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in the Government of India

ZHANG WEIJIE, Director of Energy and Climate Policy, Ministry of Sustainability, Singapore

HEATHER JACKSON, Senior Technical Expert on Impact Investment/Socially Responsible Investment and member of South Africa’s Impact Investment Task Force/ISSA

QA and Discussion

Conclusion

10:45 – 11:30    Coffee break and visit to the Exhibition Space

11:30 – 12:00    Keynote Address: Green, inclusive economic rebound: what it takes to make it happen

Keynote 2: ACHIM STEINER, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme

Questions and Answers: Moderator, Dr. NGUYỄN HÙNG SƠN, Vice-President, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam

Conclusion to the morning session: H.E. PHẠM BÌNH MINH, Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam

12:00 – 13:15    Lunch

13:15 – 14:00    Side meeting: Special Roundtable on the Contribution of Business to a Green and Inclusive Rebound

14:00 – 15:30    Session 2 - Trade, investment, and innovation for a sustainable rebound

Global trade volumes were already falling when the pandemic hit due to the lasting effects of the Global Financial Crisis and rising trade tensions. Rebuilding trade and investment flows for sustainability, inclusion and resilience will be key to the post- Covid recovery and to achieving the SDGs, spreading new technologies, stimulating innovation and creating decent work and steady jobs.

How should Viet Nam adjust its approach to trade agreements and FDI to promote a sustainable and inclusive growth pattern that encourages domestic innovation and productivity?

Introduction to the Session 2: Moderator, H.E. Ambassador of the Netherlands to Viet Nam ELSBETH AKKERMAN

Keynote 3: ISABELLE DURANT, Deputy Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Panel Discussion 2

H.E. GITA WIRJAWAN, Chairman, PT Ancora International, and former Minister of Trade, Republic of Indonesia (2011-2014) and Chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board (2009-2012)

Dr. CẤN VĂN LỰC, Chief Economist of the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV)

MARIA MARTIN-PRAT DE ABREU, Deputy Director-General – Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission

Dr. CAROLYN DEERE-BIRKBECK, Chatham House Associate Fellow, Director of the Forum on Trade, Environmental Sustainability and the SDGs (TESS)  

QA and Discussion

Conclusion

15:30 – 15:45    Coffee break

15:45 – 17:15    Session 3: Strengthening the Role of Government in Accelerating a Green and Inclusive Rebound

As Viet Nam graduates from a lower middle income to higher middle-income status the country faces equity challenges, no doubt intensified by the effects of Covid-19 and climate change. The development of markets and market competition are important, but government will also play a central role in accelerating the transition to renewable energy and the Circular Economy, stimulating innovation and preparing the workforce for the jobs of the future.

What can Viet Nam learn from the experiences of other countries regarding the synergy between competitive markets and innovative government policies? What policies and governance structures have countries put in place to promote sustainability and inclusion? How can a mission-oriented approach help Viet Nam cope with issues like the Mekong River Delta and endemic poverty in upland and remote regions?

Introduction to the Session 3: Moderator, Ms. CAITLIN WIESEN, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Viet Nam

Keynote 4: Professor MARIANA MAZZUCATO, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London, The Mission Economy: Reinvigorating the Role of the State to Tackle Complex Problems

Panel Discussion 3

Mdm. PHẠM CHI LAN, Economist - Economic Rebound, Inclusiveness and Sustainability in the Mekong Delta

Dr. KEITH R. JEFFERIS, Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Botswana on the Government of Botswana’s Reset Agenda.

Professor HERMANN WAIBEL, University of Hannover and leader of the Thailand - Viet Nam Social Economic Panel (TVSEP) since 2007.

QA and Discussion

Conclusion

17:15 – 17:30 Closing Remarks – Summary of action points and further ideas for collaboration:

Leader of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Viet Nam