The Hanoi Times - A national-level target programme integrating climate change issues into socio-economic strategies and plans was announced by a Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) official o­n December 22.

The programme, which formulates and develops programmes to help ministries, agencies and localities to deal with the effects of climate change, demonstrates the determination of the whole country to join together in tackling this big issue, said MNRE Minister Pham Khoi Nguyen.

Nguyen also said that the devising of such a programme is a new experience, not just for Vietnam but for many other countries around the world.

The programme will assess the effects of climate change across the whole of Vietnam, including all sectors and localities.

It will focus o­n scientific research to establish a scientific basis for measures to cope with the effects of climate change.

In addition, the programme will help to strengthen and improve the capacity of institutions to make policy decisions, raise public awareness and seek international assistance.

Vietnam is number two out of the world’s top five nations facing disaster as a result of climate change and rising sea levels.

Unexpected storms, floods and droughts have recently become fiercer while low-lying coastal areas are o­n the verge of being submerged. The Mekong Delta, the country’s biggest area of rice cultivation, is already being intruded upon by the sea.