National strategies on integrating climate change adaptation in Vietnam by Le Minh Nhat

1. National strategies
on integrating climate change adaptation
Le Minh NHAT Ph.D
Director
Climate Change Adaptation Division – DMHCC
MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY, HYDROLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
VIETNAM
13-14 April 2015, BONN, GERMANY

2. OUTLINE
1. General information
2. Relevant policy documents for Integrating in Viet Nam
3. Steps of mainstreaming CCA into development plans
4. Mainstreaming CCA into sector plans
5. Lessons learned
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3. • Population: 92.477.857 (2013)
• GDP/capita: US$ 1960 (2013)
• Area: 331.212 km²
• Economic reform: 1986
 Vietnam has seen high economic growth rate in the past decades
 Lately, growth has been less impressive
GDP Growth Rates (annual %)
GDP growth:
8% during 1990-1997
7% during 2000-2005
5-8% from 2006-date
1. General information

4. Climate change impact
• 1 of Top 5 countries/nations most vulnerable to climate changes. Sea
level rises 1m, 5% land loses, 11% population affected, 7% agricultural
activities impacted, 10% GDP reduced.
• Most vulnerable regions: Red River Delta and Mekong River Delta
• Most vulnerable sectors: Agriculture, Water Resources, Transport, Trade,
Education…
• Most vulnerable group: the poor, women, children, and ethnic
minorities…
• Climate changes in Vietnam: increase in strengths and frequencies of
extreme weather, disasters, sea level rise, land erosions and slides.

5. 2. Relevant policy documents for Integrating
5
Resolution No.24/NQ/TW (2013) by Party Central Committee
National Strategy on Climate
Change (2011)
NTP-RCC (2008)
NTP-RCC for the
period 2012-
2015 (2012)Action Plans for
each sector
National Action Plan on CC for
the period 2012-2020 (2012)
Green Growth
Strategy- GGS
(2012)
Other National
Strategy for each
sector
NTP for each sector
Higher
Political Will
National
Strategies
and Policy
Actions
Particular policies and
concrete actions
Socio Economic
Development
Strategy, Plan
(2010 - current)
Framework of Priority
Selection Guide to
Adapt CC in Socio
Economic
Development Plan
(2013)

6. GOVERNMENT
NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE
MOF MPI MOC MONRE MARD MOIT MOT
Office of NCCCOffices of CC
Programmes
Line
departments
in provinces
International
organisations
& NGOs
Community
groups
Direct line of command / reporting
Cooperation / Partnership
Office of SPRCC
Office of NTPRCC

7. National Target Program respond to Climate change
The plan includes near term (to 2010) and longer term (to 2015)
priority activities to address 8 sub‐objectives or program areas:
1. Assessing the impacts of climate change
2. Identifying appropriate responses
3. Developing a scientific‐technical program
4. Strengthening capacity and the policy framework
in the relevant organizations and institutions
5. Raising awareness across the country
6. Enhancing international cooperation
7. Mainstreaming the NTP across all sectors
8. Developing specific action plans to respond to climate change
( All ministries, all sectors and localities to respond to CC)
NTP‐RCC is more of a “strategy to develop a strategy”

8. The status of climate policy integration in Vietnam
• In Vietnam, the Government approved the National Target
Programe to Respond to Climate Change (NTP) and the
National Strategy on Climate Change, which require that
Climate change is integrated into
all new development strategies and policies.
• Taken into consideration in the decision-making process.
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9. • Step T1: Screening
• Step T2: Select the response measure
• Step T3: Integrate climate change into the document of strategies,
planning processes and plans
• Step T4: Implement the climate change-integrated strategies, planning
processes and plans
• Step T5: Monitoring and assessment.
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3. Steps of mainstreaming CCA
into development plans

10. Step 1: Screening
• To assess the relationship between the socio-economic strategies, planning
processes, and plans with climate change and to assess whether or not it is
necessary to implement climate policy integration.
• Whether or not that region/sector is vulnerable to climate change?
• Whether or not the socio-economic development activities will reduce the
adaptive capacity or miss the opportunities brought by climate change?
• is implemented and based upon, the scenarios for climate change and sea level
rise for Vietnam and the assessment report of climate change impacts on
sectors/regions belonging to those strategies, planning processes and plans
10

11. Step 2: Select the response measure
The process of selecting adaptation measures
• Identify adaptation measures: to provide a list of adaptation measures.
based on expert consultation and the matrix tables on the climate
change impacts on sectors, corresponding adaptation measures and the
relevant agencies.
• Select adaptation measures: based on criteria, such as effectiveness,
cost and feasibility, etc. a matrix table of adaptation measures and
selection criteria is developed to select the appropriate adaptation
measures.
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12. Step 3: Integrate climate change into the document of strategies,
planning processes and plans
Three following criteria:
• The target of the climate change response should become one of
the targets of the strategy, planning process and plan;
• Climate change issues should be integrated into the strategy,
planning process and plan appropriately.
• Weighting of the integrated climate change aspects with other
aspects.
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13. Step 4: Implement policy documents integrated with
climate change adaptation
Similar to implementation of other policies
• Implementing CCA in parallel with
development activities.
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14. Step 5: Monitoring and assessment
• Evaluating CCA measures;
• Evaluating integration of CCA into policy
documents,
• Evaluating implementation of policy documents
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15. 1. Mainstreaming CC in the process to formulate, approve and
undertake strategies, long and short term plans, development
projects of all sub-sectors of ARD.
2. Mainstreaming shall be based on the following principles: Ensure
the sustainability of socio-economic development, systematic,
flexible to each period and concurrent with national regulations;
scientific and locality-driven
3. Mainstreaming shall comply with the following 5 steps process:
(i) Climate change screening (assess impacts, identify the
vulnerability, analyze and select the possible risk →
(ii) Select the adaptation measures →
(iii) Mainstreaming CC into development policy
(iv) Implementation → (v) Monitoring and Evaluation
Mainstreaming climate change into sector phanning
a. Agricultural Sector

16. ADAPTATION
MAINSTREAMING
SHORT_MID_LONG TERM
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT (STRUCTURE, NON-STRUCTURE)
NATIONAL-SECTORAL-REGIONAL-LOCAL SOLUTIONS:
Research and applicationnew weather tolerantcrop varieties
Develop flexible crop pattern and shifting cropping calendar,
Develop and implement new farming techniques,
Improving soil’s nutrition and increasing carbon absorption of lands
Efficiency use of land, water and other inputs
Diversify with effective application of scientific advances
increasing the resilience and livelihood of peoples
R&D, DRM, Risk management and agriculture’sinsurance
Impacts: Crop yield decreases, Water stress, Land degradation,
Loses of species and eco system…trans boundary of mitigating measures
Autonomous, Anticipatory, and … Planned Adaptation
a. Agricultural Sector

17. IMPACTS
VULNERABILITY
ADAPTATION
GAPS
Statistical
downscal
ing
methods
RRMOD and
SSARR for
run-off
MAGICC/
SCENGE 5.3
software
Penman
formulae for
ETP
CSIRO Mark 2
GCM
−Drought increase (3% coastal area, 8% inland
area)
− Building reservoirs (priority
to East of South, Central
Highlands and mountainous
areas in the North)
− Need of a long term strategy on national and
regional scale
− Water resourceshave not been managed
according to basin system
− Provision on protection, utilization and
management of water resourceshave been
insufficient
− Low investment for irrigation, having as result
imperfect works.
−Risk of flood and land erosion becauseof its
geographical location of mountains
−Deforestation and pollution make water resourcesmore
vulnerable
−Most populated areas and with more economic activity
are the ones with higher risk of floods,and salinization of
water resources.
− Upgrading drainage system; building
new sea dykes
− Control population growth; new
resettlement areas
− Reclaiming areas (hilly midland in the N) for
agricultural production
− Effectiveuse of water, increasing
run-off in low flow season.
− Sustainable exploitation of resources.
−Studies and predictions in water resources
−Run-off:+4% to -19%
-ETP increases
−Rainfall increases (12-19%)
−Increase of peak of discharge
−Decrease of return period (from 100 to
20 years and from 20 to 5)
−Decrease in groundwater level in central
highlands Stalinization of groundwater due to sea
level rise.
−Increase water stress and conflicts
−Drop of hydropower production
−Water supplies threatened
−Sea level rise: affect islands, coastal
ecosystems and communities, sinking of delta
land, coastal degradation, loss of coral reefs.
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b. Water Sector

18. 18
b. Water Sector

19. 19
Conclusion
mainstreaming
NTP-RCC (2008)
Action Plans for
each sector
Other National
Strategy for each
sector
NTP for each sector
Socio Economic Development
Strategy, Plan
<at the beginning >
CC issues had been
discussed, but
fragmented.

20. 20
Conclusion
mainstreaming
Resolution No.24/NQ/TW (2013) by Party Central Committee
National Strategy on ClimateChange (2011)
NTP-RCC (2008)
NTP-RCC for the
period 2012-2015
(2012)Action Plans for
each sector
National Action Plan on CC for the period
2012-2020 (2012)
Green Growth
Strategy- GGS
(2012)
Other National
Strategy for each
sector
NTP for each sector
Socio Economic Development
Strategy, Plan (2010 - current)
 CC issues have been
integrated into SEDS and SEDP
Framework of Priority Selection Guide to
Adapt CC in Socio Economic DevelopmentPlan
(2013)
<current> CC issues are mainstreamed
through policy actions
Awareness raising Workshops
to party sysmtem

21. [Institutional set-up]
• National Committee on CC
21
Conclusion
mainstreaming
[scientific base for CC actions]
Climate Change scenario
GHG inventory
Biennial Update Report
iNDC
Monitoring and Evaluation tools
+
+

22. Barriers
• Lacks qualitative data for future climate change prediction.
• No specific guidance on the integrationof climate change into socio-economicdevelopment
strategies, planning processes and plans.
• Insufficient legal regulations, which require climatechange integration as a compellingstep in
the process of developing socio-economicdevelopmentstrategies, planning processes and plans
at national, sectoral and local levels;
• Limited capacity for integratingclimate change into developmentstrategies, planning
processes and plans at national, sectoral and local levels;
• Insufficient resources (personnel, time and finance) for implementing climatechange
integration into developmentstrategies, planning processes and plans at national, sectoral and
local levels ;
• Development plans need a lot of detailed information on climate change.However, the model
only can predict several factors with uncertainty. The projection of climate extreme values is
more difficult than that of the average values; Sometimes the detailed level of spatial and
temporal aspects of the climatechange scenario is not sufficient for the developmentplans;
• The project needs detailed dataat the local level; however, the climate change scenarios
could not meet that requirement

23. 5. Lessons learned
• Coordination among ministries and sectors
– Synergies of adaptation measures to optimize use of
resources
• Regional Planning ( multiple provinces )
– Overlap of planning leads to inefficient use of resource
– Lack of mechanism to cooperate among provinces;
– Weakness in managing and implementing regional plan
– Adaptation measures are only considered local benefits
but ignored impacts at regional scope; leads to increasing
risk of disaster at different places in its region
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24. Thank you for your attention
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Le Minh NHAT
Director of Climate Change Adaptation Division
DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY, HYDROLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
E mail : NHATKYOTO@GMAIL.COM