HO CHI MINH CITY, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- International organizations and development partners on Wednesday committed to supporting Vietnam in implementing projects that make the Mekong Delta more resilient to climate change impacts.
The World Bank (WB) will coordinate with the Mekong River Committee to assist Vietnam in devising a Mekong Delta Master Plan, which will identify long-term solutions and strategies based on existing knowledge of and expertise on the state of the delta, Vietnam News Agency quoted WB Vietnam Country Director Ousmane Dione as saying on the sidelines of the Conference on Sustainable and Climate-resilient Development of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, which concluded on Wednesday in southern Can Tho city.
Louise Chamberlain, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Country Director in Vietnam, said the UNDP will assist Vietnam in increasing resilience capacity of people living on the banks of Mekong River through increasing ODA funding and private investment.
Australia is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in seeking solutions for challenges faced by the Mekong Delta, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Craig Chittick said, noting that the country commits to providing Vietnam its methods for economical use of water resources in rural areas and effective management and use of water in the Mekong Delta.
Eric Sidgwick, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country director for Vietnam, revealed that the bank has included Vietnam in its climate change program from 2016-2030 that has a total budget of about 20 billion U.S. dollars.
On Wednesday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with foreign diplomats in Vietnam attending the two-day conference, calling for more support from foreign countries for the Mekong Delta.
As part of the Mekong River lower course, Vietnam's Mekong Delta region contributes nearly 18 percent of the national gross domestic product with 90 percent of rice export, around 60 percent of fisheries export and 70 percent of fruits output nationwide.
