Ha Noi, 1 March, 2023 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport, the Vietnam Association for Vocational Education and Training & Social Work, and eleven universities and colleges, organized the Northern Round of the Green Transport Debate Competition. This debate is one of many activities of the Project "Catalyzing a Sustainable Shift towards E-Mobility" funded by the Government of Japan. The project aims to reduce GHG emissions by improving policies and the environment, enabling E-Mobility development at the national level, and implementing pilot activities promoting E-Mobility in Viet Nam.

After the Preliminary Round,  twelve teams from the University of Languages & International Studies, University of Science, University of Science, Hanoi Medical University, Banking Academy, FPT University, Hanoi Transport Technology University, Hanoi Vocation College of Industry, Hanoi College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hanoi Vocational College of High Technology, College Engineering and Construction Bac Ninh and Institute of Mechanical Engineering participate in the Northern Round. In this round, they will debate choosing two teams with the highest score for the final round in mid-March 2023 in Ha Noi.

In Viet Nam, the transportation sector contributes significantly to the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the Ministry of Transport (MOT), in 2019, the emission from the transport sector was 45 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) and is forecasted to increase on average 6-7% per year and would double to 90 million tCO2e by 2030. Road transport accounts for 80% of the total transport sector's GHG emissions.

Speaking on the competition, Mr. Patrick Haverman, Deputy Resident Representative, stressed, "We cannot stand aside from observing. We need to actively participate in addressing environmental challenges and climate change. We need to focus on changing the behavior of each of us when using transport by choosing low-carbon and environmentally friendly methods. The debate contest initiated by UNDP is an opportunity to ignite everyone's passion in joining hands to build a cleaner and greener future. Let's act together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a sustainable future for Viet Nam."

"I hope that the voices of young students will be heard," said Lai Khanh Linh of Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies. "Young people are important forces in social campaigns and movements, particularly in environmental protection and for positive change in the transportation sector."

BK-AUTO of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering said, "we are three students studying automotive engineering from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Mechanical Engineering. We are participating in the competition enthusiastically and objectively. We want to debate with other contestants on the future of transport with hot keywords nowadays, such as green, electricity, and environment."

Details of the contest are published on Fanpage "Giao thông điện" (https://www.facebook.com/giaothongdien); on UNDP Vietnam's website, fanpage (https://www.undp.org/vietnam, https://www.facebook.com/undpvietnam) and on the website, the fanpage of Vietnam Association for Vocational Education and Training & Social Work (https://vavet.vn/, https://www.facebook.com/vavet.vn).

For more information, please contact:
Phan Huong Giang
CCE Media and Communications Analyst,
United Nations Development Programme
Tel: 0948466688.
Email: phan.huong.giang@undp.org

Nguyen Thuy Dương
Communication Officer, Viet Nam Association for Vocational Education and Training & Social Work.
Tel: 0976577636.
Email: nguyenduong.journalist@gmail.com