Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai chaired a meeting of the Vietnam Subcommittee of the Vietnam-Netherlands Intergovernmental Committee on Thursday to fulfill duties under the bilateral strategic cooperation agreement on climate change adaptation and water management.
The purpose of the establishment of the intergovernmental committee is to develop and fulfill the agreement signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Dutch counterpart Peter Balkenende in October 2010.

The purpose of the establishment of the intergovernmental committee is to develop and fulfill the agreement signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Dutch counterpart Peter Balkenende in October 2010 which paved the way for the two countries to become strategic partners and give top priority to the field of climate change adaptation and water management.

Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai and Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander co-chaired the intergovernmental committee’s first meeting in March at which the two sides discussed ways to step up cooperation in water management, climate change adaptation, and protection of relevant agricultural ecological system, especially implementation of the Mekong Delta plan, urban and rural planning and development, flooding control, water supply, wastewater treatment and building of related financial management institutions.

The committee discussed and defined such core tasks as the establishment of interdisciplinary coordination committees and working groups so as to accelerate the coordination with the Dutch side to set up the Mekong Delta plan, cooperation projects in climate change, control of water, land, and sea level rises as well.

At the meeting, the two sides agreed on the implementation of personnel organization and establishment of the committee, interdisciplinary coordination group, and standing office and working regulations to promptly inform and exchange information on steps of implementation with the Dutch side.

To carry out negotiations for a strategic partnership between the two governments, Hai underscored the requirements in defining and concretizing eight tasks assigned to the committee of which the core urgent task is to fulfill the Mekong Delta plan together with projects on studying and building development scenarios as well as institutions of relevant fields.

He also specified duties for members of the subcommittee to deploy working groups, take field trips to collect information, and prepare for workshops on the implementation of steps for cooperation and signed agreements.