Nghe An provincial leaders held a working meeting with Swiss partners on cooperation in combating climate change and sustainable development.
On November 29th, in Switzerland, the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, Phung Thanh Vinh, held a working meeting with Mr. Braulio Eduardo Morera, Head of the Strategy and Solutions Unit for Strengthening Resilience in Food, Water and Air Quality, at the Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum (WEF).
The meeting took place in an open atmosphere, aiming to strengthen cooperation between Nghe An and the WEF in key areas of environment, climate, and sustainable development.
Speaking at the meeting, Comrade Phung Thanh Vinh shared some information about the impact of climate change on Nghe An province. Many mountainous areas are experiencing localized droughts, while downstream areas frequently face the risk of flooding and flash floods. Damage caused by natural disasters, especially the three recent major storms, is estimated at approximately 360 million USD. The province lacks flood maps for river basins and reservoirs, and does not have an early warning system for natural disasters and floods, particularly an advanced AI-powered early warning system that needs to be accurate and timely. Infrastructure for people's lives and production has deteriorated over time; and the development of afforestation and processing lacks a strategic approach.
During the meeting, Mr. Braulio Eduardo Morera stated that this meeting with Nghe An province – a locality in Vietnam – was a very good opportunity for the WEF to listen and prepare as best as possible for the WEF's annual meeting in Davos in January 2026, and also an opportunity for the WEF to better understand a typical locality in Vietnam, aiming for future cooperation.
On behalf of the WEF, he expressed his gratitude to the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province for his time and affection dedicated to the WEF and to him personally. The WEF plays a crucial role in interacting with governments and ministries of other countries to exchange initiatives, helping governments and key leaders gain a deeper understanding of resilience and climate change issues, and to develop solutions that benefit farmers in production. The WEF hopes to work directly with the Vietnamese government in general and the provincial governments in particular, including Nghe An province.
At the end of the working session, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phung Thanh Vinh thanked the WEF for its interest and expressed his desire to receive support from Mr. Morera in areas such as: cooperation on water and resilient infrastructure; support in building smart water resource monitoring models, applying data and AI; piloting an early warning system for droughts and flash floods in mountainous communes; advising on sustainable water allocation strategies for agriculture, industry and urban areas; sustainable food security; building climate-resilient agricultural models and reducing emissions in key areas; supporting the application of digital and ecological technologies in farming; air quality and sustainable urban development; deploying an automated monitoring network and integrating data according to international standards; building a data model for pollution forecasting to support transportation and industrial planning; training local officials in air quality management capacity; circular economy and nature restoration. Supporting the development of models for recycling agricultural waste into organic fertilizers and bioenergy; participating in the Center's initiative on forest and ecosystem restoration, applied in communes in western Nghe An province; connecting international investors in the field of green production and circular materials.
On this occasion, Vice Chairman Phung Thanh Vinh invited Mr. Braulio Eduardo Morera to visit Nghe An, and proposed that he research and support Nghe An with solutions, programs, and projects to mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as implement sustainable development goals associated with green development and address the current problems Nghe An is facing as mentioned above.
Earlier, as part of his working visit to Switzerland, Mr. Phung Thanh Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, held a meeting with Pavo Capital Group - a major Swiss investment fund - to attract green finance resources and develop sustainable agriculture.
At the meeting, Mr. Phung Thanh Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, emphasized the importance of the meeting in the context of the province's accelerated implementation of the Green Growth Strategy for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, and specific action plans for each sector and field. The goal is to contribute to restructuring the economy in conjunction with innovating the growth model, aiming for economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and social equity; moving towards a green, carbon-neutral economy and contributing to the goal of limiting global warming.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Toan Tran highly appreciated Nghe An's potential and green development orientation, the advantages and potential that Nghe An province possesses such as forest resources, natural ecosystems, and a strong aspiration for green transformation. He stated that Pavo Capital Group is particularly interested in the areas the province is prioritizing, such as green finance, carbon credits, sustainable agriculture, and the circular economy.
The CEO of Pavo Capital Group also proposed connecting and supporting Nghe An in three areas: investing in infrastructure for urban flood control, industrial cluster infrastructure, and energy infrastructure; investing in and attracting businesses to high-tech forestry and agricultural zones for processing forest products; and investing in agricultural processing, especially fruits.
At the end of the working session, Mr. Phung Thanh Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, pledged to create the most transparent and favorable investment environment to support investors, businesses, and international organizations in high-tech, innovative, green transformation, and sustainable development projects. The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee respectfully invited Mr. Toan Tran, Executive Chairman of Pavo Capital Group, to visit Nghe An as an investor and an overseas Vietnamese who has made significant contributions to his homeland.
