NDO – The Mekong Delta Forum 2015 opened in Ho Chi Minh City on February 2, aimed at gathering initiatives to integrate strategies for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region in the context of climate change challenges.
The two day event is co-organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the World Bank (WB) in Vietnam and other development partners.
In his opening speech, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai stressed the role and strategic significance of the Mekong Delta in ensuring national food security and the sustainable development of residential communities in the south and across the country. However, the region is facing enormous challenges related to water supply issues, salinity and negative impacts of climate change — large problems to the socio-economic growth of a nation with a long coastline like Vietnam.
According to Hai, in recent years, along with efforts from the international community, the Government of Vietnam has been drastically dealing with climate change by integrating response measures to its socio-economic development plans, of which the Delta has always received special attention.
He spoke highly of support from the international community for Vietnam in recent years, while calling for further support in coping with climate change in Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta.
The deputy PM suggested related units, scientists, and experts seek synchronous, trans-regional, stable and long-term measures to effectively respond to climate change effects to ensure the prosperity of the region.
WB Country Director to Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa said that Vietnam should take immediate measures to avoid costly remedies in the future. The WB and other development partners will support Vietnam in access to knowledge and technical and financial assistance to implement measures to reduce the impact of climate change in the region, she pledged.
The forum focuses on long-term response visions for the Mekong Delta region, such as strengthening the forecast of natural disasters, floods, drought, salt water intrusion in the Mekong Delta; promoting investigation and assessment of potential surface water, ground water and the risks to subsidence, erosion, and landslides in the context of climate change and socio-economic development; reviewing and supplementing development planning, especially sea dike and reservoir development plans; and building a network monitoring climate change and sea level rise for the Mekong Delta region.
In addition, development scenarios for the Mekong Delta region, experience in climate change response in other delta regions in the world, and ways to boost sustainable livelihoods through adaptation management built on the Mekong Delta Plan for the 2016-20 period are also on discussion.
Forum discusses Mekong Delta sustainable development Related image(s)
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