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Hanoi, 11 June 2021 - The launch meeting for the integrated management project for the coastal areas of the Hai Phong estuary and the bays of Bai Tu Long and Ha Long took place on 11 June in the presence of Mr Vu Truong Son, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands, and Ms Virginie Bleitrach, Deputy Director of the AFD in Vietnam.
Ha Long bay, a jewel in Vietnam’s tourism crown and listed as a world heritage site, is the location of intense economic activity which presents a significant threat to its conservation: the biodiversity of the bay has already been seriously impacted by tourism, coal production and fishing and aquaculture.
Faced with this situation, the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) is providing €1.2 million to fund a project supporting the integrated management of the bays of Ha Long, Hai Phong and Bai Tu Long, which will help the sustainable economic and social development of this coastal area. The project is sponsored by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
During the project’s launch meeting, the various actors came together to discuss the programme of work and stages in which the project would be implemented, and take stock of the integrated management of the coastal areas of Quảng Ning province and Hai Phong.
The first stage of the project will be to carry out an assessment, comprising a description of the environment and a biodiversity survey. On the basis of this, the institutional actors and scientific and economic operators will work together to develop integrated management for the coastal areas through a “Bay contract” approach, i.e. a list of actions to undertake, in order to tackle the major problems affecting the bays. This work will be carried out with the backing of the city of Brest, in France.
- For Janique Etienne, Head of Oceans and Nature-based Solutions Projects at the FFEM, “This project is an excellent example of knowledge transfer. The city of Brest, the project’s partner, will share its experience with integrated management of coastal areas. The project also fits perfectly within the FFEM 2019-2022 strategic cycle, which encourages coastal resilience by managing their use, limiting pollution and supporting the development of sustainable industries.”
This project should enable the sustainable economic and social development of the area, but also reduce the impact of pollution on public health and the environment, all while contributing to the development of the regulatory framework for implementing the integrated management of the coastal areas.
- “I’m delighted by the launch of this project, which is essential to preserving the coastal areas of Ha Long, Hai Phong and Bai Tu Long. It lies at the heart of the cooperation priorities between Vietnam and the AFD for combating climate change and protecting biodiversity,” stated Virginie Bleitrach, Deputy Director of the French Development Agency in Vietnam.
About the French Development Agency
The AFD group contributes to implementing French policy in matters of development and international cooperation. The group comprises the French Development Agency, in charge of funding the public sector and NGOs, research and training for sustainable development; its subsidiary Proparco, which is dedicated to financing private-sector stakeholders; and will soon also include Expertise France, a technical cooperation agency. The group finances, supports and accelerates the transition to a fairer and more sustainable world.
With our partners we construct shared solutions, with and for the global South. Our teams are involved in over 4,000 field-based projects across115 countries, in French overseas territories, and in regions in crisis, for the common good – climate, biodiversity, peace, gender equality, education and, of course, health. We also contribute to the commitment of France and the French people to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Towards a world in common.
About the French Facility for Global Environment
The French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) finances innovative environmental projects in developing countries. It supports initiatives that generate environmental, social and financial benefits at the local level. Established in 1994 by the French government following the first Earth Summit, it has already secured funding for 333 projects in over 120 countries, two-thirds of them in Africa.
Projects supported by the FFEM are aimed at conserving biodiversity, the climate, international waters, lands, and the ozone layer, and at tackling chemical pollution. The FFEM seeks to learn from these pilot projects so that the most effective solutions may be deployed in other locations or on a larger scale.
The FFEM works in partnership with public and private actors in countries both in the South and North: NGOs, local authorities and communities, public institutions, companies and other backers and international organisations. The projects it finances are also supported by the member ministries of its steering committee and by the French Development Agency (AFD).
www.ffem.fr/en Twitter: @FFEM_Fr
Contacts:
AFD: Charlotte Le Layo - Regional Communications Manager, south-east Asia – lelayoc@afd.fr
FFEM: Delphine Donger - Communication Officer - dongerd@afd.fr