For Immediate Release

Conference: "Integrative Urban Development: Towards Green and Resilient Cities in Vietnam
GOVERNMENT AND NGO LEADERS SET NEW PATH FOR URBAN RESILIENCE IN VIETNAM

(Da Nang, 25 October 2013) Leaders of government bodies, academics and non-governmental organisations gathered in Da Nang in Novotel for the two-days conference "Integrative Urban Development: Towards Green and Resilient Cities in Vietnam to discuss the implementation of more climate change resilient urban areas in Vietnam. The event features presentations of international experts as well as site visits to highlight the challenges posed by the countrys rapid urbanization. The conference is jointly organised by the Ministry of Construction (MoC), Da Nang People's Committee, Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Urban Climate Change Resilience Community of Practice (UCR-CoP) In his opening remarks at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Vice Minister of MoC stressed that, As a developing country with rapid regional urbanization, Vietnam has achieved many positive results in urban development linked to its economic growth objectives and increasing peoples standard of living. However, besides the results that Vietnam achieved in the 21st century, our country still faces global challenges on several fronts including the economy, the environment and energy and in particular the impact of climate change and related natural disasters. This challenge affects urban areas, living conditions and the environment surrounding the people and will require sustainable development. To address this challenge will be the new requirement for Vietnams Planning, Building and Urban Development, he added. During the two days the conference will feature thematic panels on developing sustainable urban growth (by the Asian Development Bank), integrated management of flood risks (by MoC) and integrating climate change into urban planning (by ISET). These panels will be led by national and international experts and researchers presenting and discussing original findings on the importance of resilience including findings on trainings needs for Vietnamese architects and urban planners to support cities adapting to climate change by Dr. Do Hau, Vice President Urban Planning and Development Association (VUPDA) findings on key challenges related to flood proofing and drainage for medium-sized coastal cities by Mr. Hanns-Bernd Kuchta, Chief Technical Advisor, GIZ.

Resilience planning efforts in Da Nang are already showing results. ISET-Vietnam partnered with the Da Nang Womens Union to provide credit loans, technical support and training to build and strengthen low-income houses for storm resistance. Following Typhoon Nari, which caused 1

For Immediate Release VND 96.6 billion (USD4.6 million) in damage to houses in Da Nang, 244 out of the 245 households participating in the storm resilient housing program were not damaged by the typhoon (construction on the one damaged house had not been completed). "With about 30 per cent of its population living in cities and an annual urban growth rate of 1.1 million residents, Vietnam has one of the greatest potentials for urbanization as well as one of the strongest needs for urban capacity building in Asia, said Erik Schweikhardt, Chief Technical Advisor, GIZ. In some cases, urban planning is incomplete, resulting in serious environmental damage, greater vulnerability to extreme weather events and an increase in the potential for social conflict." Invitees of the conference will participate in field trips connected to different climate change adaptation measures, ranging from innovative approaches of community-based adaptation for low-income communities and households introduced by GIZ, as well as on modern master planning approaches in Da Nang. The conference also features the release of research papers with concrete recommendations and proposals for reducing climate change threats to different urban communities in Vietnam. The authors of these reports whose studies were supported through the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) funded by the Rockefeller Foundation presented their findings at a workshop held before the conference. The studies highlight key vulnerabilities facing urban populations and recommend ways policymakers and others can act to increase peoples resilience as temperatures rise and extreme weather poses a greater threat to their health, livelihoods and housing, says Diane Archer, a researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) who coordinates ACCCRN research projects. The key focus areas and related findings of the papers include: Heat Stress on Outdoor Workers: The first study showed that outdoor workers in Da Nang face increasing health threats from extreme heat and have few options to adapt. Of respondents, 47 per cent experienced heat stress-related symptoms during the last 3 months. Women and migrants face greater risks, and poverty forces people to risk their health by working despite extreme heat. Cost and Benefits of Mangrove Forest Restoration: The second study assessed costs and benefits of restoring mangrove forests around Thi Nai lagoon in Quy Nhon City. Mangroves can protect people and property from storm surges and coastal floods in addition to other benefits such as fuel wood and ecotourism. The researchers found that the benefits of restoring mangroves are worth about twice as much as either the cost of reforestation or the benefits that would accrue from using the same area for aquaculture. Climate-Resilient Housing: The third study identified reasons why low-income communities in Hue and Da Nang lack housing that can withstand climatic disasters. It found that professional agencies rarely construct housing for such communities, which 2

For Immediate Release cannot afford the high costs, and that the most resilient housing was built through a combination of local techniques and professional expertise. Following the findings of these reports, the Rockefeller Foundation is now funding a project to specifically address issues raised by the heat stress study. The damages of Typhoon Nari are still visible in Da Nang, which demonstrates the vulnerability of cities facing the impacts of climate change and increased urbanization, said Mr. HannsBernd Kuchta, Chief Technical Advisor, GIZ. The German Development Cooperation will continue working together with Vietnam to meet the great challenges of sustainable urban development in Vietnam.
Related Links For more information about the event agenda or speakers, please visit: http://urban-developmentconference-da-nang.vn/en/ The IIED reports will be available to download at http://pubs.iied.org/search.php?c=climate from 23 October onwards.
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The Needs Assessment for Training on Urbanization and Climate Change is available at http://urbanclimatevn.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/needs-assessment-training-on-urbanization-andclimate-change/ About GIZ As a federal enterprise, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. We have been working with our partners in Viet Nam since 1993 and are currently active in three main fields of cooperation: 1) Vocational Training; 2) Environmental Policy and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources; and 3) Energy. We run projects commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). We also cooperate with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the European Union (EU) and the Kreditanstalt fr Wiederaufbau (KfW), Germany. For further information, please visit - www.giz.de/en About ACCCRN Launched in 2008, ACCCRN is a network of cities and partners in Thailand, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and the Philippines and is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation as part of a US$59 million, 9-year climate change resilience initiative. ACCCRN aims to strengthen the capacity of cities to plan, finance and implement climate change resilience strategies while also capturing and sharing knowledge and experience among practitioners. ACCCRN also works to enable new cities and actors to take climate change resilience action through policy mechanisms, finance, and technical assistance. ACCCRN began rolling out tangible pilot projects in late 2010 and more than 32 such interventions are now underway. ACCCRN involves more than 20 partner organizations. For more information on ACCCRN and for links to ACCCRN Facebook, Twitter or You Tube channels, visit http://www.acccrn.org

For Immediate Release

About The Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation aims to achieve equitable growth by expanding opportunity for more people in more places worldwide, and to build resilience by helping them prepare for, withstand, and emerge stronger from acute shocks and chronic stresses. Throughout its 100 year history, The Rockefeller Foundation has enhanced the impact of innovative thinkers and actors working to change the world by providing the resources, networks, convening power, and technologies to move them from idea to impact. In todays dynamic and interconnected world, The Rockefeller Foundation has a unique ability to address the emerging challenges facing humankind through innovation, intervention and influence in order to shape agendas and inform decision making. For more information, please visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org Media Enquiries Ly Thi Van Ha tly@apcoworldwide.com Telephone: +84(0)912644368