Field of activity 1 (Institutions) aims to establish an institutional framework to facilitate regional coordination of climate-resilient development in the Mekong Delta.
To this end, the TC measure will advise MARD, MOC and MPI. Initially, these inputs will concentrate on development at the national level, thus contributing to inter-provincial strategic and technical implementation. Inter-provincial mechanisms are to be developed jointly to facilitate the coordination and steering of inputs required for prioritising climate-resilient projects and programmes and for their financing with public and/or private funds and/or initiating project preparations, securing their bankability through global climate finance flows and making corresponding project applications.
To plan, finance and implement measures across the provinces, the programme will set up a Regional Coordinating Council which, together with the aforementioned ministries, will provide a platform that all actors can use for exchanges on decisions and as a basis for coherent planning. Exactly how these platforms are to be designed is presently being discussed in-depth by the Vietnamese Government. The various mandates, responsibilities and processes need to be clarified jointly and should reflect current capacities, responsibilities, and needs for assistance; e.g. for capacity development.
The project advises on policy, planning and technical aspects; for instance, concerning the clarification of mandates, responsibilities and interfaces and coordinated packages of training measures. The horizontal and vertical stakeholder exchanges encouraged by the programme – e.g. by supporting the setting up of inter-provincial and inter-ministerial working groups and platforms in individual sectors – will help ensure cross-province coordination of the planning, implementation and monitoring of climate-resilient measures. The project plans to consult and cooperate closely with the Mekong Delta Working Group (MDWG) and thus coordinate its activities with the international community.
Gender equality is an integral component of the regional coordination mechanism, namely in the form of gender-sensitive guidelines, and thus strategically mainstreamed.
Higher resilience against climate change along the coastline, urban areas and the hinterland of the Mekong Delta is achieved with efforts from different angles
Beside a regionally coordinated framework, the cooperation across sectors and departments within the provincial landscape is another long-standing governance issue of the local system. To address this, GIZ supports the establishment and operationalization of semi-formal entities such as taskforce or working groups to facilitate information sharing and collaborative development and implementation of joint agenda and decisions. This process is always accompanied by a capacity-building measure to ensure success and sustainability.
Planned activities:
1.1. Regional Coordination Council with sub-regional coordination units, including interministerial working groups, is in operation.
- Enhancing operation and functioning of the Regional Coordination Council (RCC) and sub-regional coordination units
- Support the development and operation of thematic Working groups under the RCC, capacity development for making gender-responsive CC decisions
1.2. 5 Inter-provincial platforms are held every 6 months to coordinate (plan, implement and monitor) the climate-resilient management of water resources in urban and rural areas, taking gender equality aspects into account.
- Support establishment of the Shrimp Working Group (Under PSAV PPP Fisheries) to promote the sustainable shrimp development
- Enhancing the operation of JTWG on water management between An Giang and Kien Giang in Long Xuyen Quadrangle (LXQ) irrigation system
- Support establishment and operation of Technical Working Group on water management between Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Soc Trang in Quan Lo - Phung Hiep (QL-PH) irrigation system
- Support the coordination mechanism among 07 coastal provinces in development of the national master plan for integrated coastal zone management on Mekong Delta region
- Upscaling modality of the JTWG to other sub-regions in MKD