Vietnam and the World Bank held a meeting on Friday to discuss water security in the Southeast Asian nation’s communities amid the issue of climate change.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung met with Saroj Kumar Jha, Global Director for the World Bank (WB) Group’s Water Department, and Mariam Sherman, WB Division Director for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
During the talks, Dung placed emphasis on the country’s efforts to ensure water security in its communities to address its vulnerability to climate change.
Vietnamese official stresses government’s commitment
The Vietnamese deputy prime minister reiterated the national government’s drive to address the issue and thanked the financial institution’s support to the administration’s socio-economic measures, including infrastructure upgrades, reforms to human resources development and initiatives to boost green growth in the Southeast Asian nation.
Dung expressed gratitude to the WB for its assistance in programs and projects to address pressing agricultural and environmental issues, help enhance water resource management, strengthen food security, improve livelihoods and boost resilience and adaptation to the growing impacts of climate change.
The official also welcomed the institution’s “Water for the Future” initiative, where he endorsed Ha Noi’s strong support for the program.
He said that the country is ready to work closely with the bank in the project’s implementation process.
The deputy prime minister wished that the program would become a cooperation mechanism that aims to ensure water security between the two sides and help achieve Vietnam’s sustainable development goals and improve its resilience to climate change.
The official then urged the World Bank to support the nation in executing the projects through provision of technical assistance, policy advice, international experience and effective governance models in water resource management.
World Bank official affirms Vietnam’s water management initiatives
For his part, Jha said that the financial institution is in coordination with government agencies, particularly the Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries and departments, to formulate a new Country Partnership Framework for the next five years.
The director noted that the country’s plan to ensure water security, climate change response and sustainable development connects with the WB’s future agenda.
Jha also valued Vietnam’s participation in the initiative from its early stages.
The World Bank official emphasized that Ha Noi’s early entry to the program provides an important foundation for the two sides to expand cooperation and develop concrete action plans aligned with the Southeast Asian nation’s development priorities.
The director also noted the financial institution’s numerous programs being carried out in the Mekong Delta, with a focus on pressing issues like saltwater intrusion adaptation, livelihood protection and climate resilience improvement.
He told Dung that it signifies the bank’s wish to work closely with Vietnamese authorities to expedite the implementation of projects that are largely ready, thereby creating additional momentum for the region’s sustainable development.
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Newsjustnews writers 
James Mario Ajero 
Jheruleene Anne Ramos