Nghe An strengthens environmental protection and social safety in greenhouse gas emission reduction payments.
On November 6th, in Vinh City, the World Bank (WB) and the Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund held a working session with the Nghe An Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund to discuss the progress and recommendations of the WB regarding the Emission Reduction Payment Agreement (ERPA) for the North Central region.
Attending the event were experts from the World Bank and representatives from the Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund, along with representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Forest Protection Sub-Department, and leaders of the Nghe An Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund.
At the meeting, Mr. Duong Ngoc Hung – Deputy Director of the Nghe An Forest Protection and Development Fund – reported on the pilot implementation of the transfer of emission reduction results and financial management of the agreement on payment for greenhouse gas emission reductions in the North Central region within the province, as well as environmental and social protection measures (ERPA) implemented in the province recently, and the World Bank's recommendations on the agreement on payment for greenhouse gas emission reductions in Nghe An.
In 2024, the Forest Protection and Development Fund announced the allocation of revenue from the agreement on greenhouse gas emission reductions in the North Central region to the beneficiaries as stipulated. Specifically, these included: 40 forest owners who are organizations (Special-use and protection forest management boards; Forestry companies; armed forces units); 211 commune-level People's Committees entrusted by the State with the responsibility of managing natural forests; and 27,467 forest owners who are households, individuals, and communities (the majority of whom are ethnic minorities).
To date, the Fund has disbursed funds to 14 forest owners (organizations) to implement forest protection contracts for 109 communities, support livelihoods for 441 communities, and implement silvicultural measures to nurture natural forests over an area of 267.29 hectares...
At the meeting, delegates highly appreciated the results achieved in Nghe An, while focusing on discussing solutions to overcome some difficulties and obstacles in the implementation process and specific actions for the future, including: Strengthening communication about the project; Developing a plan to organize training courses to implement and guide relevant stakeholders in implementing measures to ensure environmental and social safety; Disbursing ERPA funds according to the approved plan; Publicly posting the list of ERPA payment recipients at the commune People's Committee headquarters and village community centers before disbursement; Supporting local communities and commune People's Committees in developing livelihood development plans that meet practical needs and World Bank requirements…
