A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on October 7 between the central province of Thanh Hoa and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), pledging to jointly develop an action plan for green growth. The document aims to further tighten the cooperation between the locality’s Green Growth Task Force (GGTF) and their partner implementing the USAID-funded Vietnam Forest and Deltas Program (VFDP) in Thanh Hoa, with a view to realizing the province’s green growth strategy by 2020. Under the MoU, the two sides will enhance the exchange of information, knowledge and technology in the field of climate change, while jointly conducting surveys and collecting data on agriculture, forestry and aquaculture; energy; industry and waste treatment. They will also work together to draft an action plan for Thanh Hoa’s green growth strategy. USAID will support the Vietnamese locality in improving institutional capacity and training human resources to be able to implement strategy successfully. The strategy is expected to improve the capacity of local agencies to develop land use plans and build a sustainable financial mechanism for forest development. It will also focus on measures to reduce green house emissions from the forestry sector. Implemented from 2013-2017 in the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Nam Dinh and Long An, the Vietnam Forest and Deltas Program aims to help localities tackle key issues related to climate change and sustainable development. It not only helps local authorities enhance forest management and reforestation, but also introduces climate change resilient livelihood strategies to the residents of areas having forests. Thanh Hoa and Nghe An were selected as pilot provinces for implementing the nation’s green growth strategy. (Vov.vn Oct 8)
