Quang Tri meets with international donors
The leaders of central Quang
Tri province met representatives from Japan’s International Cooperation
Agency (JICA) and the EU on June 3 to discuss enhancing cooperation
between the province and the two donors.
The fields
they focused on included transport, water supplies, poverty reduction,
dealing with natural disasters, clearing unexploded ordnance and
supporting businesses.
The meetings took place on
the eve of the mid-term meeting of the Consultative Group, scheduled for
June 4-5 in Quang Tri province.
Since 1996, Japan has
funded 30 projects in Quang Tri worth a total 23 million USD, or 10
percent of the province’s official development assistance.
In addition, Japan has also provided humanitarian aid to Quang Tri
and helped it to carry out projects funded by non-governmental
organisations.
Two Japanese funded ODA projects worth 3.6 million USD are currently underway in the province.
Most completed projects were found to be worthwhile and effective.
At the meeting, Quang Tri’s leaders said they are keen to work with
the JICA, using its small-scale infrastructure development credit
programme to improve roads and build new facilities to provide clean
water in Hai Lang and Vinh Linh districts.
The province
expects to work with the EU to reduce poverty, guard against climate
changes, deal with natural disasters, mine clearance, decontaminate area
polluted with Agent Orange/dioxin and support businesses.
In
recent years, Quang Tri province has made full use of projects funded
by foreign organisations and governments to carry out its socio-economic
development tasks.
A project dealing with unexploded
ordnance and the effects of war carried out in Dakrong, Trieu Phong, Hai
Lang and Cam Lo districts with funding coming from the Norwegian
People’s Aid, Humpty Institute, Tromsoe Mine Victim Resource Centre and
Support Vietnam project.
The 5 million USD programme,
which started in 2001, has helped to reduce the number of accidents due
to bombs and mines from 59 in 2001 to just 10 in 2010.
It has provided operations and artificial limbs for 480 victims of unexploded ordnance and disabled people.
In
poverty reduction, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)
provided nearly 13.5 million USD for the Share project to help poor
households in Gio Linh and Vinh Linh districts.
The
success of its foreign funded projects is expected to encourage more
assistance from foreign donors to help boost socio-economic development
in the province.-VNA