2 August 2012: The World Bank has reported on projects implemented in Viet Nam since 2006 to promote disaster risk reduction (DRR), with partners including the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and AusAID.

The projects implemented in Viet Nam include a National Disaster Risk Management Project with a concessional credit of US$160 million, and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) grants of US$4.4 million for studies that have lead to innovations and translated global good practice to local circumstances in Viet Nam.

The World Bank indicates it will continue to support DRR efforts in the country, with US$150 million in additional funding for disaster risk management in rural areas, supporting the improvement of real-time weather forecasting for rural villages and the expansion of the community-based disaster risk management program (CBDRM) to more communities. The projects also include the construction of flood and storm protection infrastructure within selected river basins. Based on the success of the first stage of the program, the Vietnamese Government is replicating it in 6,000 additional communes, through its US$500 million National CBDRM Program. [World Bank Press Release]