A forest in southern Binh Thuan province
was destroyed. Photo by Laodong

Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat and representatives from UN agencies on July 29 signed a document on the project’s second phase, making Vietnam the first among 47 UN-REDD partners in the second phase with a non-refundable aid worth about US$30 million. 

UN-REDD is funded by the Norwegian Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving forest management and land use. 

In Vietnam, the project is part of the plan to reduce 20 percent of agricultural and rural development emissions by 2020. It also aims to increase forest coverage to 45 percent by 2020 through co-ordinated efforts to control deforestation and forest degradation. 

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Phat said that as one of the nations seriously affected by climate change, Vietnam has actively joined efforts with the international community to protect the earth, and developed policies and strategies to cope with climate change. 

He suggested the collaboration between the UN-REDD project phase II and the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility projects and other climate change response programmes to help Vietnam promptly develop its capability for implementing REDD plus, which goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. 

UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta said that the country should reach all goals of the second phase on time. 

UN agencies will help optimise the effects of efforts to minimise the negative impacts of climate change in Vietnam, she affirmed. 

The REDD project phase II focuses on six provinces of Bac Kan, Lao Cai, Ha Tinh, Binh Thuan, Lam Dong and Ca Mau.