A seminar to kick off a project on institutional strengthening and capacity building for sustainable urban development in Vietnam (ISCB project) was held in Hanoi on April 13th, with the participation of Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Born; Head of Development Cooperation, Swiss Embassy in Vietnam Marcel Reymond; United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malholtra; leaders of units under the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, representatives of a number of localities, a large number of domestic and international experts and guests.
The Ministry of Construction in coordination with the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and Swiss Federal Economic Federal (SECO) organized the workshop to launch the project. The project includes the following components: Capacity Building; Policies and laws; Pilot. The project has received funding from the Swiss Federal Economic Bureau - SECO for implementation in the period 2020 - 2025.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Sinh spoke at the seminar
The main goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of national and local institutions to promote and implement innovative and participatory solutions for sustainable urban development in Vietnam. Through the workshop, all parties have the opportunity to share the challenges of urban development, especially those in the building of the institutional framework and capacity building at all levels towards complete solutions.
Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Sinh said that Vietnam was a country with rapid urbanization rate in Southeast Asia. Vietnam’s cities were the driving force for the national economic growth and development when contributing 70% of the total GDP. Vietnam has paid attention to implement solutions in improving efficiency of urban planning and development.
However, Vietnam still remains some limitations such as: The promulgation of legal policies on urban development is still slow and unsuitable compared to the requirements; the implementation of master plans on technical infrastructure for centrally-run cities is slow and inconsistent among fields; Vietnam's urban system develops rapidly in number but is mainly in small cities; the linkage between urban and rural areas is not tight; urban development database still lacks consistency.
Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland in Vietnam Marcel Reymond spoke at the workshop.
Marcel Reymond, head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland in Vietnam, said ISCB project would assist policy-makers to promote integrated and sustainable urban development through institutional capacity building activities, the development of new policies and the piloting of solutions in selected cities. He expressed his belief that the project would bring about great socio-economic and environmental benefits, thus facilitating the transformation of sustainable development models in Vietnamese cities.
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malholtra spoke at the workshop
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malholtra said both countries and Vietnam needed to effectively control the rate of urbanization and develop urbanization in all regions. Vietnam should not only rely on ODA and the State budget, but also rely on private capital in urban sustainable development.
Within the framework of the workshop, the signing ceremony of commitments was also held between the parties participating in the Project.
AMC Academy Director Tran Huu Ha (right) signed the commitment of the two sides to implement the ISCB project with UN-Habitat representatives in Vietnam
AMC Academy Director Tran Huu Ha signed the commitment of the two sides to implement the ISCB project with a representative of the Embassy of Switzerland in Vietnam.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Sinh took a photo with experts and delegates in the workshop