Disasters Claim 300 Lives in Vietnam Annually: UN Women

At least 300 people die and missing in natural disasters annually in Vietnam which is ranked one of five hardest-hit countries by climate change, state media reported, citing the UN Women at a three-day conference in Hanoi beginning May 16. Calamities also cause damage worth hundreds of millions dollar in Vietnam annually and the consequences become worse year by year, Roberta Clarke, regional director of UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, said at the event. Vietnam is believed to suffer a loss worth VND9 trillion ($400 million) from droughts and salinization since the second half of 2015 and the victims are mainly women, children and inhabitants in rural areas. The poor, women, and children become more vulnerable to disaster-caused consequences, leaving them in worse discrimination and gender inequality, Ms. Clarke said. Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said that Vietnam has made efforts to ease gender inequality by promoting implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 which Vietnam has committed to follow. (Congly.com.vn May 16)