Hanoi (VNA) - TheAsian Development Bank (ADB) and the provincial People’s Committees of HaGiang, Vinh Phuc and Thua Thien-Hue on July 6 signed project agreements totaling223.87 million USD for the Secondary Green Cities Development Project.

The project will supportenvironmentally sustainable and inclusive development in the provincial capitalcities of Ha Giang, Vinh Yen and Hue to enhance their economic competitiveness,according to a news release issued by the ADB on the same day.

“The ADB will help the cities of Ha Giang, Vinh Yen and Hueintegrate green features into their urban infrastructure, such an energy efficientstreet lighting and nature-based embankments,” saidEric Sidgwick, ADB Country Director for Vietnam.

“Building on ADB’s support in preparing Green City Action Plansfor the three cities, this project will demonstrate how the right mix of integratedurban planning and blended financing can improve livability, resilience andeconomic opportunities in cities,”he said.

Becauseof rapid urbanisation, almost all 31 million people living in cities in Vietnamare facing emerging socio-economic and environmental challenges. Unlike thefive centrally administered cities, the development of secondary cities islagging. Many communities in these cities are becoming increasingly vulnerableto climate change and disaster risks.

Secondarycities’ slow development not only prevents them from contributing to thecountry’s socioeconomic growth but also reduces job opportunities and results inworsening livable environments for locals and migrant workers. Responding tosuch a city’s complex socioeconomic and financial constraints requiresstrategic support in upstream city planning and the identification of effectiveinvestments.

The Vietnamese Government and the ADB jointlyselected Ha Giang, Vinh Yen and Hue as demonstration cities because theyrepresent different socio-economic characteristics, developments constraints,and geographic locations.

The total projectinvestment includes 3 million USD in grant financing from the GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF) and 3 million USD from the Urban Climate ChangeResilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF), which is supported by the RockefellerFoundation and the Governments of Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Inaddition, the technical assistance accompanying the project is12.8 million USD, of which 10.8 million USD will be financed by the GEF and 2million USD by the UCCRTF.

“While demonstrating green city development, theproject, supported by grant financed technical assistance, which will also help formulate a regulatoryframework for sustainable and resilient cities that will be scaled up fornationwide secondary green city development in Vietnam and pilot test disasterrisk financing for Hue,” Sidgwick added.

Expected to be completed in December 2023, theproject will help the three cities improve green and resilient urbaninfrastructure services and scale up climate adaptation that will benefit about116,000 households, including about 6,100 poor and near-poor households. Forall subprojects, the provincial People’s Committees will strengthen institutional capacity for urbandevelopment management.

TheManila-based ADB is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacificthrough inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, andregional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members, of which 48from the region. In 2017, the ADB operations totaled 32.2 billion USD,including 11.9 billion USD in co-financing.-VNA