Flood in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh in 2016 (Illustrative image. Source: VNA)He made the statement in an interview withVietnam News Agency on the sidelines of a conference in Hanoi on April 17 onnatural disaster prevention and search and rescue work.
During the severe drought in Vietnam last year,the UN worked with the Vietnamese Government and the Central Steering Committeeon Natural Disaster Prevention and Control to implement an emergency responseplan for humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable population groups in the18 hardest-hit localities, he said.
With substantial budget support from the UN CentralEmergency Response Fund along with the Japanese and the Republic of Korea’sgovernments, the Asian Development Bank and the European Commission and othersources, nearly 53 percent of the total requirement of 48.5 million USD wasmobilised to aid the high-risk groups, including 240,000 women and 113,000children.
The UN also helped Vietnam address demand forclean water, health and nutrition, and food security, he said, adding that theVietnamese Government and UN issued a Drought Recovery Plan in October 2016,estimating recovery needs for 2017 at 368 million USD.
The UN is willing to assist Vietnam in riskmanagement from central to local levels as well as building legal mechanisms,policies, and financial mechanisms at all levels, and maintaining transparencyand accountability, he said.
Preparation for recovering after emergenciesplays a crucial role in building national capacity to recover after naturaldisasters, he said.
He noted that under the UN One Strategic Plan2017 – 2021, which is expected to be signed soon by Vietnam, the UN establisheda joint working group on disaster risk mitigation and resilience enhancement.The group brings together 10 UN agencies with experiences and global network tosupport Vietnam’s efforts.
Kamal Malhotra recognised Vietnam’s commitmentto disaster risk management in the National Development Programme.
Stronger investment in upgrading the disasterrisk management system, improving forecasting and warning efficiency andenhancing recovery capacity of basic public services at local level will helpsave expenses and people in the future, he said.
He suggested integrating risk management intosocio-economic development plans and national target programmes, increasinginformation exchanges between ministries and departments and paying attentionto vulnerable groups like women and children.
Vietnam’s establishment of the Department ofDisaster Prevention and Control is a step in the right direction, he said.
He reiterated the UN commitment to closely workingwith the Vietnamese Government to speed up the realisation of the SustainableDevelopment Goals via implementing the One Strategic Plan.
Vietnam loses over one percent of gross domesticproduct (GDP) annually due to natural disasters. The Intended Nationally DeterminedContributions report estimated that expenses for climate change adaptationactivities could make up up to three percent of GDP by 2030.-VNA
VNA
