“It is time for us to take action on the sustainable management of water resources and climate change agreements,” Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh told the annual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Dialogue on Sustainable Development, held on June 4 in Ben Tre province.
The dialogue focused on ways to improve water management in urban areas and ensure water resources and food and energy security.
At the dialogue, Minh called for ASEM members to join hands with the international community to promote the adoption of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda and to attain a new global agreement on climate change.
“If oil was one of the reasons for wars in the 20th century, many think that the wars of the 21st century would be fought over water,” Minh said.
Vietnam attached importance and committed to promoting international cooperation in water resources management within sustainable development, Minh said, adding that the country had been making every effort to enhance cooperation with ASEAN members and parties to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) in sustainable water resources management of the Mekong River and in shaping the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
The deputy prime minister encouraged participants to exchange ideas on how to ensure the role of water in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, including the sharing of trans-boundary water resources.-
