The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pledges to fund a total of $344 million for Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) in Vietnam in the next five years, the agency said in a document. In its fact sheet published on its website, the agency outlines three objectives of the CDCS, including planned budgets of $86 million to raise state administration for more sustainable and effective growth; $239 million to improve healthcare, social welfare, and deal with climate change impacts and natural disasters; and $19 million to clean up dioxin in Danang airport and assess dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa Airbase. The first goal is aimed at tackling problems in state administration that are limiting economic growth. The USAID expects to promote trade and improve Vietnam’s competition capacity to better prepare for the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement as well as to strengthen the country’s tertiary education. The second goal focuses on raising the capacity of the government, civil society, private sector and vulnerable populations to ease the impacts of natural calamities, climate change and bird flu; prevent HIV/AIDS; to empower women; and better support people with disabilities. The third one targets to solve the legacies left from the Vietnam War, including cleaning up dioxin at Danang airport, which was a military base of the U.S. army, and conducting environmental assessment in Bien Hoa. Solving the war remnants, including dioxin residue and unexploded ordnance (UXO), is one of the important activities bringing Vietnam and the U.S. closer, the agency said in a statement. The above CDCS for Vietnam includes a program on coping with climate change which was mentioned during the visit to Hanoi in Dec 2013 by U.S. State Secretary John Kerry. Since 2000, the USAID has provided roughly $588 million to Vietnam. (www.usaid.gov [1], Dau Tu – Investment Jan 15 p2, Tien Phong – Pioneer Jan 15 p12, Chinhphu.vn Jan 14)
