The Vietnamese Non- Government Organization (VNGOs) actively participated and responded “The Red River Forum”, which held in Nam Dinh Province on June, 2014. The theme of “The Red River Forum” is: “Red River Delta under the effects of Climate Change: The level of vulnerability and adaptation solutions”.

The delegates participated in the forum.

Realizing their role in connect, attract the participation of community; motivated to connect the stakeholders, the VNGOs such as Centre of Marinelife Conservation and Community Development( MCD), Green Innovation and Development Centre ( Green ID), Sustainable Rural Development ( SRD) and the other organizations actively promoted the coordination role to support the forum on the voulunteer way. Through the forum, the VNGOs recorded many valuable comments from the local academics, managers for the related topics.

The VNGOs known that this is a journey when working directly with local community and managers in Forum. The important points are listening, understanding, sharing the information, experiments and unity in action. From information to awareness and from awareness to action are processes that requires patience and wisdom of many stakeholders.

Mrs. Khanh Thi Nguy, Director of GreenID spoke at Forum

Mrs. Hue Thu Nguyen, Director of MCD promoted group discussion- The priorities, opportunities and solutions

The VNGOs learned the patience from the Manager of “Forest and Delta” project in the preparing process for the Forum. The VNGOs, which had the activities in the area, encouraged to participate and strengthen the coordination.   5 provinces in Red River Delta have prepared action plan for respond with climate change. Through exchanging and learning process, the VNGOs found the ways to promote the contribution consistent with their capacity and experiences.

Mr. Can Quoc Truong, Vice- director of SRD spoke at Forum.

Spoke at Forum, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tuan Cong Ha emphasized: “Response with climate change have to achieve 4 prominent goals: Seizing the climate change situation, in order to have ensuring food security, water sources, environment plans; Solving employment to achieve the goal of sustainable development; Directing and promoting economy with low carbon emissions; Growth green economy”.

The VNGOs participated as discussion coordinators and contributed for Joint Communique of the forum. The main points of Joint Communique are: Regional cooperation in mobilizing resources and coordinating implementation in areas such as implementation of research as a scientific basis for promoting the work of responding to climate change; capacity building for stakeholders; implementation of communications and policy advocacy to raise awareness, promote institutionalize the effective initiatives, models response to climate change; structural solution and non-structural solution to improve the livelihoods and adaptation to climate change.

In the spirit of the Forum, right after work session officially ended, MCD in collaboration with the National Committee for Man and the Biosphere (MAB) organized “Stakeholder dialogue to improve the capacity management biosphere reserves zone in response to climate change in coastal plains of the Red River “. Purpose of the dialogue were strengthen connection and information between coastal plains of the Red River provinces, especially are management board of 2 Biosphere Reserves zones ( BRz): Red river inter-provincial wetlands biosphere reserves zone and Cat Ba biosphere reserves zone. The delegates, who participated in the dialogue, are the people directly related to directing the implementation works in their communities. Comments of the delegates focus on clarifying the priority activities that milestone was assessed 10 year cooperation of two BRz, building coordinated plans so that approach biosphere promote maximize in response to climate change in the Red River delta region.

The VNGOs had a lot of initiatives related to the Forum, such as organizing the sharing conference between 50 NGOs work at Red River delta region; sharing about working methods and the results of the governmental important program; organizing the chains of communication activities about the impact of climate change to communities and working with local partners right after the Forum. The Forum organizers have recognized the practical contribution of VNGOs and recommended to continue develop creativity, role binding, catalysis to promote inter-provincial cooperation, because “climate change already exists and does not choose the province or other provinces “as a witty speaker sharing.

On 6^th and 7^th, Jun, 2014, Red River Delta Forum with theme:” The level of vulnerability and adaptation solutions” held at Nam Dinh city. The forum was organized in the framework of the project “Supporting to respond to climate change in Vietnam forest and plain”, as known as ” Vietnam Forests and Delta” (VFD). This project belong to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, implemented by Winrock International with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The objectives of Forum were sharing the research information we have about climate change (CC), providing an opportunity for managers, organizations share their ideas to “Increase capacity to respond to climate change in delta”.

– Hue Thu Nguyen-

Director of Center for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD)