Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Jointly held by the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority (VDMA) and the UNDevelopment Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, the events are part of activities inthe project “Improving resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change in Vietnam”funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF),UNDP and the Vietnamese Government.
In his opening speech, Deputy Head of the VDMA Nguyen Van Tien underlined the importanceto raise awareness of officials and people in coastal areas through trainingprogrammes and assessment of disaster and climate change risks, saying thatthis is the main foundation to ensure stable life and safety for coastalhouseholds frequently affected by natural disasters.
Such training courses also contribute to the Government’s efforts to raiseawareness of and strengthen resilience of community, he noted.
The project will expand training activities and information sharing to 21coastal provinces and cities of Vietnam, including Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, ThaiBinh, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen,Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Thanh Ho Chi Minh City,Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Kien Giang.
Senior Technical Advisor of UNDP Vietnam Khusrav Sharifov emphasised that it isimportant to strengthen capacity from the community level in the context ofVietnam's vulnerability to climate change and impacts of natural disasters.
Through the partnership with VDMA and provinces, UNDP is focusing on increasingresilience at all levels in order to mitigate negative impacts of cyclones,storms, floods, drought, and saltwater intrusion in vulnerable coastalcommunities.
UNDP has been closely cooperating with the authority to effectively implementthe project “Raising public awareness and community-based disaster riskmanagement” launched by the Vietnamese Government in 2009.
By the end of 2021, the project is expected to access 520 communities in sevencoastal areas to help them assess risks and develop their own climateand disaster risk reduction plans.
More than 10,000 people are hoped to have access to more information on risksof climate change and natural disasters as well as activities to strengthenresilience and climate change adaptation in the coming time.
Since 2018, training courses on community-based disaster risk management havebeen organised for more than 44,000 people in 373 coastal and near-coastalcommunes in Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, QuangNgai and Ca Mau./.
VNA
