The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has helped the central city of Da Nang design an integrated development strategy for Da Nang city and its neighbouring areas.

The Steering Committee of the Integrated Development Strategy for Da Nang City and its Neighbouring Areas (Dacriss) held its 6 th meeting in Da Nang on June 16 to hear reports by Dacriss research group.

Dacriss, a technical project under the Japanese Government’s official development assistance programme, gave out potential and opportunities of economic development strategy for the city and its nearby areas.

The project also includes visions for the central region’s key economic area to become the environmental technology zone on the basis of economic development, ecological balance and national harmonisation.

The project also proposes the city emerges as the one with safety, security and no pollution. The project aims to ensure an ecological stability, living condition improvement, poverty reduction, strong economic growth and cultural value and human resources development in Da Nang .

The project has been carried out since July 2008 with research focusing on Da Nang and its neighbouring provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam , Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh.

Addressing the meeting, head of the Dacriss research group, Dr. Iwata Shizuo, said it was necessary to define the competitive and supplementary role of the central region’s key economic area in the national development strategy, increase its direct access to the international community and coordination with neighbouring localities in order to effectively develop its potential and reduce risks./.