Nghe An hopes that UNDP will continue to support the implementation of programs and projects to create sustainable livelihoods.

On the morning of September 20, under the chairmanship of Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nghia Hieu, the People's Committee of Nghe An province had a working session with the Office of Small Project Funding of theGlobal Environment Facility, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on UNDP livelihood projects in Western Nghe An.

On the side of the working delegation, there were Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen - National Coordinator, Small Grants Program, Global Environment Facility, United Nations Development Program; Mr. Hua Duc Nhi - Chairman of Vietnam Forest Owners Association, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Overview of the working session. Photo: Phu Huong

Ensuring global environmental benefits

The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) is a program that provides financial and technical support to communities and civil society organizations (CSOs) to meet the overall goals of “ensuring global environmental benefits through community-based initiatives and actions”.

In Nghe An, from 2001 to 2022, 14 projects were funded and implemented in the districts of Ky Son, Con Cuong, Quy Hop, Hung Nguyen, Que Phong, and Tuong Duong, with a total cost of nearly 1 million USD.

The programs and projects have achieved good results, have a long-term and profound influence, contributing to the socio-economic development of the province. They create sustainable livelihoods, promote economic potential development while still being associated with biodiversity conservation and promoting the cultural identity of the mountainous region.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, representative of the working delegation, requested Nghe An province to continue paying attention to a number of issues in the coming time. Photo: Phu Huong

At the working session, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, on behalf of the working delegation, requested Nghe An province to continue to pay attention to the issue of growing medicinal herbs under the forest canopy; linking livelihood development with the conservation of some types of trees such as meters and medicinal herbs; paying attention to investing in sustainable community tourism development at some potential locations such as Tam Dinh Sang Le Forest; Xieng Village, Khe Co (Tuong Duong), Muong Long and My Ly communes (Ky Son)...

“We really hope that Nghe An province will pay attention to directing forest owners to coordinate with the project, build a benefit-sharing mechanism with the community and people to manage and use forests sustainably, and build sustainable raw material areas in the future,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen.

Exploiting the potential of linking biodiversity and cultural identity

As the locality with the largest forest and forestry land area in the country, Nghe An has a total planned forest and forestry land area of ​​over 1.16 million hectares, accounting for 71.6% of the total natural area. Currently, the whole province has about 1 million hectares of forest, with forest cover reaching 58.41%.

Special,Western Nghe An Biosphere ReserveRecognized by UNESCO in 2007, it is the largest terrestrial World Biosphere Reserve in Vietnam with a total area of ​​nearly 1.3 million hectares, a population of over 1 million people, and 6 ethnic groups.

Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee affirmed that Nghe An will continue to create all favorable conditions for the project to be implemented effectively. Photo: Phu Huong

There has been a fair amount of development in recent years, but in general, Nghe An's forest economy has not yet developed commensurate with its potential; the poverty rate in the Western region is still high, accounting for about 19.1%, while the average for the whole province is nearly 3%; the average income per capita is low, at 32 million VND/person/year. People's lives are not guaranteed, they have to live on forests and forest resources, creating great pressure on forest management, protection and biodiversity conservation.

Speaking at the meeting, comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu stated: Nghe An hopes that UNDP will continue to support the implementation of programs and projects to create sustainable livelihoods for people and ethnic minorities in mountainous areas, in order to promote the exploitation and development of potentials associated with the conservation and development of biodiversity and cultural identity diversity, promoting the strengths of natural landscapes, towards socio-economic sustainability, and environmental adaptation to climate change.

Nghe An develops large timber plantation areas. Photo: Phu Huong

“The Project is requested to coordinate with local authorities to organize evaluations and draw lessons from successful models, helping localities continue to replicate them in their localities. The province also commits to creating all conditions for investment projects and programs in the province to achieve the best results,” the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized.