Hanoi (VNA) – Thestrategic partnership in climate change adaptation and water managementcontinues to be a priority and an important pillar of Vietnam-Netherlandsrelations, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has said.

Dung delivered the messagewhile opening the 7th meeting of the Vietnam-Netherlands Inter-GovernmentCommittee on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management in Hanoi on April9.

The Deputy PM highlightedthe fruitful and dynamic development of the friendship and cooperation betweenthe two countries across spheres, from politics-diplomacy to trade-investment,education-training, science-technology, agriculture, and especially in theenvironmental sector.

The establishment of thestrategic partnership in climate change adaptation and water management in 2010is a milestone in the Vietnam-Netherlands relationship, he said.

Stressing the highefficiency of the partnership through an array of specific programmes andprojects in Vietnam, Dung thanked the Dutch Government, ministries, agencies, expertsand researchers for their support and contributions to sustainable developmentin Vietnam over the past years.

Vietnam and the Netherlandsare among countries hit hard by climate change, therefore, the application ofsuitable technologies in climate change response is significant to bothcountries, he said.

Since the 6th meeting of theVietnam-Netherlands Inter-Government Committee on Climate Change Adaptation andWater Management in the Netherlands in 2017, the Vietnamese Government hasalways made efforts and stood ready to join hands with the internationalcommunity in realising international commitments to cope with climate change.

However, Vietnam has still facedgreat challenges caused by climate change, saltwater intrusion, erosion andlandslides, along with difficulties in water management and use, which hasaffected its sustainable socio-economic development, he added.

Dung called on theNetherlands to help Vietnam build an effective inter-sectoral andinter-regional coordination mechanism, and devise master plans on waterresources and environmental protection.

He reiterated the VietnameseGovernment’s commitments to implementing the strategic partnership, andinstructing ministries and agencies to join efforts to further promotecooperation between the two countries.

Vietnamese Minister ofNatural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha stressed that the Netherlands isan important partner of Vietnam in dealing with challenges related to watermanagement and climate change adaptation, which, he described as a cooperationopportunity between the two countries.

Ha suggested the Netherlandscooperate and participate in raising funds for the Mekong Delta, which isvulnerable to climate change, controlling landslides and erosion in the region,drafting a strategy on flood prevention, and implementing agriculturaltransformation programmes, for sustainable development in the region.

For his part, Dutch Ministerof Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen said the Dutch Government highly evaluated Vietnam’s due attention to issuesregarding water management and climate change.

Dutch investors andbusinesses want to share their knowledge and experience with Vietnam in this field,she said, noting that climate change mitigation and adaptation should be increasedin agendas of the two countries.

Nieuwenhuizenwill hold talks with Vietnamese Ministers of Natural Resources and Environment;Planning and Investment; and Transport, and a Deputy Minister of Industry andTrade, focusing on enhancing cooperation in climate change adaptation andmitigation in Vietnam.

Theminister proposed helping Vietnam review the implementation of relevant policiesand devise new ones.

Shespoke of opportunities to improve Vietnam’s logistics, mentioning thedevelopment of inland waterway transport in the Mekong Delta and modernisationof seaports and airports.

Whilein Vietnam, the Dutch minister is scheduled to visit Hoi An ancient city in thecentral province of Quang Nam on April 10, where a Vietnam-Netherlands jointventure has implemented a plan on coastal erosion prevention.

OnApril 11, she will mainly work on water management in Ho Chi Minh City and theMekong Delta, where local people are grappling with problems caused by drought,flooding and water pollution.

Nieuwenhuizenwill share her professional knowledge about how to mobilise financial resourcesfor water management initiatives to prevent flooding, especially capital fromthe private sector and the Government’s incentives for investors.

Shewill also bring up the public-private partnership (PPP) in flood prevention andsolutions to landslides during her working sessions with representatives of theHCM City People’s Committee, gearing towards a memorandum of understandingbetween Vietnam and the Netherlands in this field.-VNA