German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) have joined hands to help Vietnam cope with climate change, the government said on its website March 8. BMZ Minister Dirk Niebel and AusAID Deputy Director Richard Moore signed a joint statement on the aid in Hanoi Mar. 8 in the presence of Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc. Dirk Niebel, who is leading a delegation to visit Vietnam, revealed that the German government has decided to fund Vietnam an additional EUR19 million for vocational training and coping with climate change. The joint statement will focus on environment and climate change through managing coastal areas, preserving biodiversity and consuming renewable energy. The governments of Germany and Australia will continue their joint projects in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, which is badly affected by climate change. Since 1990, Germany gave over EUR1 billion to Vietnam’s ODA-funded projects. At the Consultative Group Meeting held in Hanoi on Dec. 3-4, 2009, Germany pledged to provide Vietnam with EUR137 million in aid in the financial year, accounting for nearly 12.7% of EU’s total aid for the Southeast Asian nation in the year.
