The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have become the biggest supporters for Vietnam’s forestry sector over the past years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said. The annual meeting of the Forest Sector Support Partnership (FSSP) held in Hanoi on Jan 31 with the participation of GIZ and JICA marks the continuing support of the two organizations to the sector, the MARD said.The event aims to boost policy dialogue between Vietnam and its foreign partners to improve operation in the forestry sector this year.The FSSP meeting focuses on three goals namely sharing information of the forestry sector, discussing restructure planning of the sector, and better implementing initiatives and foreign donations.Main discussions were on projects with international cooperation including the Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, Sustainable Management of Forests, Conservation of Forests and Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks (REDD+) and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT).With the help from GIZ and JICA in the FSSP, Vietnam has sustainably managed 13.5 million of hectares of forest and given direct and indirect support to 25 million of residents living on forestry. (Nongnghiep.vn Feb 5)
