 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the conference (Photo: VOV) |
In his closing remark at the 3rd Conference on Sustainable Development of the Mekong Delta, Adapting to Climate Change, in Can Tho City, the Prime Minister emphasized that the Mekong Delta holds a strategic position in Vietnam.
He asked ministries, sectors and localities to do more to successfully implement Resolution 120 on sustainable development and adaptation to climate change. The Prime Minister asked for a dialogue to seek solutions to make the Mekong Delta prosper, saying this dialogue should resonate the Dialogue 2045 which was held a week ago and discussed breakthroughs for national development in the next 25 years.
“I now initiate a forum within the Dialogue 2045 framework to meet intellectuals, scientists, entrepreneurs, and those who have been working or investing in the land of nine dragons, to find solutions to help delta people develop quickly and sustainably. And I assign Can Tho University to host the Dialogue 2045 of the Mekong Delta."
Mr. Phuc described human resources as decisive for the Mekong Delta.
“To preserve the Mekong Delta, we must first preserve people, land and water. Today, I want to talk again about the blessings of the Mekong Delta, a place of birth and a land of many talents. This should be considered an important and decisive resource in our climate change response strategy. Material resources are important, but the most decisive is human, brainpower, intelligence, emotion, and courage.”
The Prime Minister pointed out new approaches to the Mekong Delta development. “It’s necessary to create the best business environment and promote flexibility of policies and economic factors. Only projects of enterprises and cooperatives are the catalyst to neutralize the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. Enterprises create jobs, increase income, and increase budget revenues.”
“Efforts should be made to promote the uniform and complete development of key markets. Localities need to focus on training and retraining human resources effectively, anticipating production shifting trends to prepare necessary skills for workers. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs takes the lead in developing this project,” said Prime Minister Phuc.
The Prime Minister required that budget for climate change response must be calculated as a major expenditure of the local budget in the total annual budget revenue. He urged Mekong Delta localities to strengthen links with Ho Chi Minh City toward sustainability and co-development.