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French agency backs Vietnam climate change programme

The French Development Agency (AFD) will provide Vietnam with a concessional loan of 20 million EUR (over 22.38 million USD) for phase five of the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change (SPRCC) in Vietnam , as stipulated in an agreement signed on May 19.
The French Development Agency (AFD)will provide Vietnam with a concessional loan of 20 million EUR (over22.38 million USD) for phase five of the Support Programme to Respond toClimate Change (SPRCC) in Vietnam , as stipulated in an agreementsigned on May 19.

The deal was inked in Hanoiby French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean-Noel Poirier, AFD Director inVietnam Remi Genevey, and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Finance TruongChi Trung.

The AFD will disburse the money withinthis year, ahead of the 21 st United Nations Climate Change Conference(COP 21) in Paris this December.

The loan adds up to 100 million EUR (over 111.98 million USD) of the agency’s total support to the SPRCC.

The SPRCC, initiated by the AFD and the Japan InternationalCooperation Agency in 2009, assists the Vietnamese Government in sectorreforms to cope with climate change effectively and encourage the lowCO2 emissions.

Deputy Minister Truong Chi Trungappreciated the AFD’s contributions to agricultural, ruralinfrastructure building, banking and financial activities in Vietnam .

The country hopes for more assistance from theFrench Government and the AFD in climate change prevention and therealisation of national green growth targets as it is among those mostsusceptible to climate change, he added.

Poirierspoke highly of Vietnam ’s preparations for its participation in theCOP 21, adding that the French Government is willing to cooperate withVietnam in climate change.

Besides financial aid,the AFD has also provided technical assistance in defining efficientenergy use targets, preparing action plans on energy efficiency atbuildings in central Da Nang city, and sharing experience betweenthe two countries in monitoring public spending on climate changeresponse and renewable energy.

Climate changeprevention is in the focus of the AFD’s activities in Vietnam .Between 2006 and 2014, the agency earmarked 471 million EUR for 16development projects with environmental benefits in the country.-VNA
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