This technical cooperation project will be implemented for 3 years from September 2010 with the total budget of $3.1 million provided by JICA.

The project is aimed at enhancing capacity of Vietnam in periodically and systematically collecting and compiling necessary data for national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories; promoting the understanding of national GHG inventories among relevant parties and managing quality assurance/quality control of GHG inventories for key sectors.

Grenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is one of important factors in tackling Climate Change since it helps a country keep updates on its GHG emission level that it is producing. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, it is compulsory for industrialized countries to annually prepare their National Greenhouse Gas inventories and report them to UNFCCC in order to show their accomplishment of commitment in reducing GHG emission over time.

Vietnam, as still a developing country, is not strictly required to do so. However, quality GHG emission data is increasingly seen as a tool for developing countries such as Vietnam to develop “greener” development plans and strategy through, for example, promoting cleaner production, renewable energy and energy efficiency …etc.

In an effort to properly navigate the country’s development toward a low-carbon economy, Vietnam has prepared its national GHG inventories and submitted to the UNFCCC in 2003, and a new inventory is also under preparation.

However, these inventories are yet to be intensive and comprehensive enough due to several constraints including the lack of institutional system and technical resources, lack of knowledge on appropriate emission factors as well as quality control of data.

As Japan has already had a well-established national system for GHG inventory preparation in place, which enables compilation and maintenance of high quality GHG inventories, it is thus expected to be able to share its know-how to support Vietnam in this matter. Main components of the project include dispatching of Japanese experts to Vietnam for technical guidance/assistance and sending Vietnamese officials for training in Japan.

Japan has recently committed the Support Program to Respond to Climate Change (SP-RCC) an ODA Loan of JPY10 billion (around $110 million) to support the implementation of the National Target Program to Respond to Climate Change (NTP-RCC).

JICA Chief Representative Mr. Motonori Tsuno emphasized: "The project signed is among the many materialization of the policy dialogue taking place under SP-RCC. We hope to continue the policy dialogue in order to develop more concrete mitigation and adaptation activities in Vietnam."

PV