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.