The Danish Government will provide a non-refundable aid worth USD 40 million for Vietnam to carry out a programme on adaptation to and mitigation of impacts of climate change in the 2009-2013 period.
The aid is the ever largest so far and makes Denmark the first foreign donor for Vietnam in the field, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE).Under an agreement signed in Hanoi on Dec. 30, 2008 between MNRE and the Danish Embassy, the MNRE will develop climate change scenarios, as well as solutions and plans of action to cope with climate change and raise public awareness of the situation.As part of the agreement, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MIT) will take charge of assisting the national programme on thrifty and efficient use of energy, which targets enterprises for sustainable economic development and restriction of the use of substances causing greenhouse effect.
To this end, a training programme on energy consultation and management at university level will be launched, said MIT deputy minister Nguyen Huu Hao.
An energy audit will be held and defining opportunities for investment and development of energy projects following the Clean Development Mechanism will be offered for businesses and power plants Hao said.
The programme will also cover assistance for the southern province of Ben Tre and the central province of Quang Nam, which are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, to carry out some pilot projects.
Addressing the agreement signing ceremony, MNRE Minister Pham Khoi Nguyen asserted that the Danish Government’s aid would strongly help Vietnam achieve its sustainable economic development and poverty reduction targets.For his part, Danish Ambassador Peter Lysholt Hansen stressed that Vietnam’s newly approved National Target Programme on Climate Change proved the country’s strong commitment to environmental protection. Vietnam should also raise a stronger voice on this issue at international forum, he said.
With its long coastline and position lower than the sea level, Vietnam is forecast to be one of the countries most affected by climate change.
