Seminar debates financial solutions to natural disaster risks
Building financial solutions to natural disaster risks is a must in order to lessen the burden on the State budget, said Vice Minister of Finance Nguyen Huu Chi.
Hanoi (VNA) – Building financial solutions to natural disaster risks is a must in order to lessen the burden on the State budget, said ඣVice Minister of Finance Nguyen Huu Chi.
Chi told participants at a seminar co-organised by the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank (WB) in Hanoi on November 15 that Vietnam suffers from various natural disasters which cause losses of up to 40 trillion VND (around 1.8 billion USD) each year.
Vietnam ranks 22nd in the world in the number of deaths left by calamities, he added.
Sebastian Eckardt, Lead Economist for the World Bank in Vietnam, shared Chi’s view, saying that an estimated 60 percent of the country’s areas and 71 percent of its population endure storm and flood risks.
Total damage due to storms and floods is equal to 0.8 percent of Vietnam’s annual gross domestic product (GDP), pushing it to third place in terms of losses among the ASEAN member countries, just behind Myanmar and the Philippines, he noted.
Since 2013, with the support of the Swiss Government, WB has assisted Vietnam in improving financial solutions and natural disaster insurance by exclusively building a calamity risk model for the country.
The WB economist said this model will help the Vietnamese Government and organisations to evaluate the possibility of occurrence and losses caused by natural disasters and work out financial plans for the possible consequences.
According to the WB, Vietnam now has different tools to ensure financial resources for coping with calamities and overcoming their aftermaths.
However, WB experts suggested Vietnam build a financial strategy to cover all losses left by natural disasters and it should be part of the country’s natural disaster and climate change management master plan./.
The central steering committee for natural disaster response and the National Committee for Search and Rescue have warned central coastal provinces from Nghe An southward to Ninh Thuan.
Seven more locals went missing in the central province of Phu Yen due to floods caused by heavy rains over the past few days, raising the number of missing victims in the region to eight.
A delegation from the World Bank (WB) met with local authorities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to discuss a project to help the city reduce flood risk.
Mariam Sherman, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, said the World Bank remains committed to working with the Vietnamese government to develop the next phase of climate resilience and transformation for the Mekong Delta.
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Vietnam's economic losses from natural disasters are estimated to account for 1 to 1.5% of GDP annually - a steep price that will continue to rise unless the country takes strong action.
Wutip, the first storm in the East Sea so far this year, has wreaked havoc across central Vietnam, claiming lives, displacing residents, and causing widespread damage to houses, crops, and infrastructure, the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention and Control reported as of 6:30 pm on June 13.
The tremor occurred at 7:39:46 am (Hanoi time), with the epicentre located at latitude 14.924°N and longitude 108.236°E, at a depth of approximately 8.1 kilometres. The natural disaster risk level was classified as 0 – the lowest on the scale.
Addressing a session on “Accelerating Financing for Resilience: Tailored Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction,” Deputy Minister Hiep emphasised Vietnam's proposal in building sustainable financing in response to natural disasters, which aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction's goals.
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Renowned artists including Ha Anh Tuan, Den Vau, and Phan Manh Quynh, along with many directors and attendees, took part in planting hundreds of rare tree species such as mun (Diospyros mun) and cho chi (Parashorea chinensis) in the Thung Bong area of the Cuc Phuong National Park, contributing to forest ecosystem restoration.
Illustrative image (Source: VNA)
