EU, France support VN in climate change adaption

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The EU will provide the money as a non-refundable grant to the AFD to run the fund. The latter will in turn provide loans for strategic projects in Viet Nam to improve the management of water and other resources and respond to challenges like floods and coastal erosion that climate change exacerbates.

EU Ambassador to Viet Nam, Giorgio Aliberti, who signed an agreement for the fund with Fabrice Richy, director of AFD, in Viet Nam said: “Adaptation to climate change is crucial for the sustainability of Vietnam’s development, and water and natural resources are a key element of it”.

"The intention of the new 20-million-euro grant is to support Viet Nam on a pathway towards a greener and resilient future and enhance natural resources management that will help restore and preserve ecosystems and boost the resilience of the local population.", he added.

Over the past 20 years, Viet Nam was listed in the group of six countries most affected by climate change, according to Germanwatch, non-governmental organization publishing Global Climate Risk Index 2019 in the UN Climate Change Conference COP 25 in Madrid, Spain.

According to Germanwatch, in the 1999-2018 period, Viet Nam ranked sixth in the Global Climate Risk Index with 29.83 points. The past 20 years saw 226 extreme natural disasters and natural disasters claimed 285.8 lives and caused a damage of US$ 2.01 billion a year.

By Thuy Dung