MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

Viet Nam National Workshop Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) Ha Noi, October 18, 2011

Implementation of National Target Program to Respond to Climate Change at local level

Truong Duc Tri Deputy Director General Department of Hydrology, Meteorology and Climate Change MONRE

Contents
NTPRCC missions
2010 2011 implementation outcomes Projected plan for 2012

Actual situations with NTPRCC implementation at local level

Suggestions and Recommendations

NTPRCC Missions
1. Assess the level of climate change, develop climate change and sea level

rise scenarios; 2. Develop and implement the climate change scientific and technological program; 3. Build organizational, institutional and policy capacity for climate change; 4. Improve awareness and train human resource; 5. Enhance capacity for international cooperation; 6. Develop a standard framework for integrating climate change issues into the development and implementation of socioeconomic development projects; 7. Develop and implement action plan to respond to climate change.

NTPRCC Missions
The Prime Minister has issued the list of National Target

Programs for the period from 2011-2015 in Decision no. 2331/QD-TTg dated Dec 10, 2010; NTPRCC has 5 major missions:
1. Assess the level of climate change, develop climate change and sea

level rise scenarios; 2. Develop and implement the climate change scientific and technological program; 3. Build capacity for inter-disciplinary climate change activities; 4. Improve awareness and train human resources; 5. Develop and implement action plan to respond to climate change.

2010 2011 Implementation Outcomes

2010 Launch the National Target Program to Respond to Climate Change (the Program) The Government has assigned budget to Ministries and local governments (Program implementing agencies), mainly to perform the following tasks:
Assess climate change level; develop climate change and sea level rise

scenarios; Raise awareness; Assess impacts; and Develop action plan for Program implementing agencies.

2010 2011 Implementation Outcomes

1. Climate change level assessment, climate change and sea level rise scenario development
MONRE has updated and will publish climate change and sea level rise scenarios

for Vietnam. Key Ministries to implement the Program (MONRE, MARD, Ministry of Industry and Trade MOIT) have reviewed and adjusted development plans in accordance with climate change conditions.

2. Develop climate change scientific and technological program

MONRE has collaborated with MOST to select and identify list of prioritized and

urgent areas for research. Regulations for operation and financial management for the scientific and technological program are also being developed.

2010 2011 Implementation Outcomes

3. Build capacity for inter-disciplinary activities on climate change a. Tasks on legal basis: - MONRE has collaborated with relevant agencies to develop the Central Committees Resolution and National Assemblys Resolution on Climate change; - The ministry has also developed and completed the following documents:
(1) National strategy on climate change; (2) Framework guideline on developing action plans to respond to climate change for

Ministries, sectors, and local governments and agencies; (3) Map of flash flood areas and pilot flash flood warning system for some areas with high flash flood risk; (4) Digital models on elevation of plain and coastal areas; (5) Climate change and sea level rise monitoring network in Vietnam.

2010 2011 Implementation Outcomes

3. Build capacity for inter-disciplinary activities on climate change b. Negotiation and mobilization of international funds: Regarding international negotiation:
Promote Vietnams role among international community in the response to

climate change, contribute to enhance political, diplomatic benefits, and socioeconomic development, MONRE has collaborated with Ministries of Diplomacy and other relevant ministries and sectors to actively participate in rounds of international negotiation and conferences on climate change. From COP13 up to now, the Vietnam negotiation mission often includes senior leaders of the Government.

2010 2011 Implementation Outcomes

3. Build capacity for inter-disciplinary activities on climate change b. Negotiation and mobilization of international funds: Regarding international fund mobilization: The climate change adaptation and mitigation program in Vietnam with aid from the Danish Government equivalent to 40 million USD; Support program to Respond to Climate Change (SP-RCC Program) loan from the Government of Japan and France at a favorable interest rate (first installment equivalent to 138 million USD); Climate change adaptation and water management in the Mekong River Delta according to Strategic Partnership Agreement between Vietnamese Government and Netherlands Government on climate change adaptation and water management; United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, sustainable forest management, forest carbon reserves preservation and enhancement. Vietnam is currently implementing Phase I of this Program. Phase IIs funding has been committed by Norway with an aid of about 100 million USD.

2010 2011 Implementation Outcomes

4. Improve awareness and develop human resource The program has coordinated actively with press agencies and media to communicate and improve awareness of the community at large on climate change. Undertake many communication activities for each specific sector and area. Up to now, the awareness of organization, individuals, enterprises and the entire society has been remarkably improved. 5. Develop and implement action plan to respond to climate change In the implementation of major tasks in the starting stage of the Program, so far 6 out of 11 ministries, including MOIT, Ministry of Transportation, MONRE, MOH, MOLISA, MARD, have finished their action plans. Other ministries are drafting the plan and consulting relevant agencies on development and issues. At local levels (especially for coastal areas), 10 have finished their Action Plans to Respond to Climate change.

Projected Plan for 2012

Develop climate change scientific and technological program Focus on research areas of:
Scientific basis, assessment of actual situation and level of climate change in Vietnam; Vulnerability and measure to adapt to climate change Recycled energy technology;

Integration of climate change issues into development mechanisms and policies and

technological orientation.

Build capacity for inter-disciplinary activities on climate change

Develop the Central Committees and National Assemblys Resolution on climate

change. Develop and complete the standard framework for integrating climate change issues into the development and implementation of socioeconomic development projects. Make a map of flash flood areas and pilot flash flood warning system for some areas with high flash flood risk; Construct digital models on elevation of plain and coastal areas; Develop climate change and sea level rise monitoring network in Vietnam.

Projected Plan for 2012

Improve awareness and develop human resource
Communication, education and raising awareness and responsibility of the

society on climate change are identified as an ongoing long-term task that needs to be further promoted; Implementation of human resource development program, especially those with high expertise in climate change, at the same time incorporate climate change contents into education curriculums of different levels.
Build capacity for inter-disciplinary activities on climate change
This is the strategic task of the Program, therefore, in the coming years, the

Program will reinforce the development of Action plans byprogram implementing agencies. Focus with particular emphasis on pilot projects to respond to climate change, prioritize the no regret' and urgent projects

Situations with NTPRCC implementation at local level

a. Regarding Action Plan to Respond to Climate change: So far, some program implementing partners have not yet developed and issued the Action Plan to Respond to climate change. Reason: Climate change is new and complicated issue, with limited information, data and methodology. Therefore, there has not been a comprehensive assessment for each sector and area. In addition, the awareness of leadership at different levels is still limited and there is a lack of synchronized participation of levels and sectors.

Situations with NTPRCC implementation at local level

b. Regarding the list of prioritized tasks and projects to

respond to climate change:

According to synthesized information, the proposed need of ministries,

sectors and provinces are huge (over 600 projects), with estimated budget of about 10 billion USD. However, as mentioned above, due to the lack of a full picture of all potential impacts of climate change, most proposed projects have not directly addressed the issue of how to effectively respond to climate change impacts. Most proposals are separate and unconnected, with no overall orientation.

Situations with NTPRCC implementation at local level

c. Regarding awareness: Communication activities have made a significant increase in awareness, firstly of leadership and managers at different levels. However, it takes a whole process to raise awareness effectively. Only about 5 years ago, there were very few people interested in climate change issues, but now many people think that climate change is the source of all unusual developments in the weather, floods and storms. Communication and education is an ongoing, constant process that needs innovation, diversification of methods, as well as distinct methods for each audience group in order to communicate full and appropriate information on the potential challenges and opportunities from climate change.

Suggestions & Recommendations

Assignment of annual budget estimation to each program implementing

agency is slow, leading to delays and low quality. The cost norms specified in Circular 07/2010/TTLT-BTNMT-BTC- BKHDT are not appropriate, not practical, based mainly on cost norms in previous circulars, thus have not reflected special features of climate change programs, leading to difficulties in management and implementation. Database, information (topographic, geomorphologic, economic, social) need to come from program management agencies as the focal points so that the implementing agencies can undertake assessment of climate change impacts on each of their areas or sectors

Suggestions & Recommendations

On the basis of recommendations from project implementing

agencies as well as the actual implementation process, MONRE proposes that ministries (including MONRE, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance) agree on a set of names, contents, objectives, expected outputs of each task to assign agencies to implement, at the same time provide timely additional guidelines on the implementation of the tasks in accordance with Decision 158/2008/QD-TTg.