The Ministries of Environment of Vietnam and Laos on Tuesday held a workshop to launch a bilateral project on water security and environment on the Mã and Neun-C rivers with a budget of US$3 million.
Director General of the Department of Water Resources Management (DWRM), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) of Laos, Inthavy Akkharath, said the project is in line with national priorities and ambitions of the new law on water resources management.
“Both governments strongly support the project and will work together with IUCN, FAO and other partners in Vietnam and Laos to address climate change impacts and improve natural resource management in the two river basins,” Akkharath said as reported by VNA on Tuesday.
The project, themed “Fostering Water and Environmental Security in the Ma and Neun-C Transboundary Watersheds and Associated Coastal Areas, Vietnam and Laos”, aims to strengthen integrated water resources management and ecosystem health in the Neun-C and Mã river basins.
The workshop, which took place in Hanoi, Vietnam, introduced the project and discussed feedback on the project design and implementation plan. It brought together many central and provincial government officials from Vietnam and Laos, local and international non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders.
The five-year project has a total budget of US$8 million funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and about US$3 million will be channeled to support the implementation of pilot projects in the Mã and Neun-C watersheds.
In general, the bilateral project aims to enable Vietnam and Laos to manage freshwater resources and ecosystem health in the Mã and Neun-C watersheds and transboundary coastal areas by creating an enabling environment for transboundary cooperation and action.
In his opening remarks at the workshop, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Vit Nam, Rémi Nono Womdim, said that the project to improve water and environmental security in the Mã and Neun-C river basins will advance four better things: better production, better nutrition, better environment and better lives.
The project will be implemented with five expected outcomes. First, achieving consensus among countries on key transboundary issues. Second, to improve water security, environmental sustainability and forecasting capabilities in both the river basin and its coastal areas.
The third objective is to strengthen collective action, reverse land degradation trends in both river basins and the last objective is to increase the capacity of relevant national entities, and share project experiences and lessons learned.