Netherlands helps Vietnam deal with climate change

Vietnam needs to learn from the Netherlands’ experience so it can help the Mekong Delta region cope more effectively with climate change, to ensure sustainable development and food security.

This was stated by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), Pham Khoi Nguyen, at a seminar on plans to deal with climate change, jointly held by the MONRE and the Dutch Embassy in Vietnam.

The seminar, which was also attended by several Dutch experts, is part of a memorandum of understanding signed by the MONRE, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works, & Water Management in October 2009.

The event is a good opportunity for Vietnamese managers and scientists to exchange information on the impact of climate change in the Mekong Delta region.

Delegates discussed the formulation of a short-term and long-term plan of action to deal with climate change, which will be then submitted to authorized Vietnamese agencies for consideration. Under the plan, specific programmes will be developed to seek domestic and foreign assistance.

An estimated 19-38 percent of the Mekong Delta region, which produces 50 percent of Vietnam’s rice output, will be flooded if the sea levels rise one metre in the next 50 years, and will cost 10 percent of the country’s GDP.