Seminar discusses capacity building for urban development in Vietnam

The event was co-hosed by the Ministry of Construction, along with the UN Human Settlement Program (UN-Habitat), and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Dr. Nguyen Quang, director of UN-Habitat Vietnam, emphasised that the Swiss Government has granted approval for the funding of the project amid a range of challenges being posed by the rapid urbanisation rates occurring in many cities.

The five-year project has received total funding of CHF4.25 million, of which CHF3.8 million is being managed by UN-Habitat, whilst CHF450,000 is under the direct management of SECO.

The ultimately purpose of the project is to enhance the technical and institutional capacities of authorities at both national and local levels in an effort to promote greater levels of urban development in a sustainable manner.

Furthermore, the project will help to design capacity building schemes, provide technical assistance for cities, whilst offering assistance for leaders in changing their mindset regarding strategic investment planning and decision-making.

The project will also contribute to fine tuning the legal framework for urban planning and management with the involvement of citizens. Its outcomes are expected to improve the capacity of leaders at both the state and local level with regard to urban planning and management.

Marcel Reymond, head of the Economic Cooperation Embassy of Switzerland in Vietnam, underscored the importance of measures aimed at strengthening its economic potential and competitiveness of municipalities. These efforts will serve to enhance the quality of the lives of local citizens, thereby helping to maintain the country’s economic-social growth.

Reymond also highlighted the important role of Vietnamese policymakers in helping to put cities on the right track whilst simultaneously increasing their resilience, adding that the project will bring about a range of significant economic, social, and environmental benefits, and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese cities to transform the model of sustainable development.