The Vietnam Environment Protection Fund (VEPF) has pledged to lend more than VND521 billion ($26.72 million) and fund VND21 billion to clean development mechanism (CDM) projects so far, state media reported, citing an official. Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai made the statement at a meeting in Hanoi on Nov 3, which is aimed to facilitate businesses’ access to investment capital and raise the public awareness of environment protection. The VEPF has sold Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) worth over VND31 billion to CDM projects during the period, Lai attributed. The fund has also collected EUR927,000 and more than VND2 billion from CERs fees and provided nearly VND600 million in aid to propagandic activities on CDM and climate change. Up to now, the VEPF has approved 135 CDM projects and two related action programs as well as confirmed 27 CDM ideas. The CDM Executive Board has to date approved only 24 CDM projects in Vietnam since joining Kyoto Protocol in 2002, a very modest figure against the total number of 2,211 projects in 40 countries worldwide. (www.ktdt.com.vn [1] Nov 4, www.tienphong.vn [2] Nov 4)
