The Ha Long Bay Alliance, a joint public-private effort between US andVietnamese government officials, private-sector business partners andkey local and national stakeholders, has been launched by the US Embassyin co-operation with the People's Committee of the northern province ofQuang Ninh.
"Quang Ninh province has always paid attention topreserve and properly explore Ha Long Bay. With establishment of theAlliance, we will further enhance our capacity to manage and protect thebay," said Vu Thi Thu Thuy, Deputy Chairwoman of the provincialPeople's Committee.
Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam's major international tourist attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Italso sustains a range of other economically important activities suchas aquaculture, fisheries, harbour, mining and transportation.
Theseeconomic development activities have increasingly placed pressure onthe bay, degraded the environment and made the livelihoods ofcommunities who are dependent on the Bay more vulnerable.
The HaLong Bay Alliance aims to foster cooperation to ensure thesustainability of the Bay by raising the awareness and capacity of localnongovernmental and governmental organisations to effectively managenatural resources.
"I envision a broad public-private partnershipof political actors, innovative businesses, and local organisations,working together to address the economic, environmental, and politicalchallenges of preserving Ha Long Bay," said US Ambassador David Shear atthe ceremony.
To put real resources toward the Alliance andlocal ownership of its development, USAID plans to make grants to theInternational Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and also tothe Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD), alocal NGO, to help organise public and private partners as well asgrassroots organisations to protect and restore the environment in HaLong Bay.
IUCN's programme is expected to emphasise policydialogue, while MCD is expected to focus on grassroots engagementstrengthening the capacity of local NGOs to facilitate improved naturalresource management and sustainable economic development.-VNA