Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan and Mayor of the Netherlands’ Rotterdam city Ahmed Aboutaleb signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a cooperative programme on climate change from 2015-2018 on March 10.

The MoU aims to maintain and intensify existing cooperation between the two cities in climate change adaptation over the next three years. Given the progress both cities have made in implementing response strategies and Rotterdam’s participation in the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative, the two sides will work to organise exchanges between their sectors, agencies and institutes.

They will share experiences in applying climate change response measures, designing plans and attracting public involvement. Rotterdam will discuss the development of its resilience strategy, including assessing the vulnerability of important infrastructure facilities.

At the signing ceremony, Quan said that the “Ho Chi Minh City - moving towards the sea with climate change adaptation” programme is the city’s top priority and Rotterdam’s involvement and expertise in the area is critical.

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, in turn, pledged to connect experts from the two cities to generate ideas for effectively completing projects and attracting investment in the field in Ho Chi Minh City.-VNA