Germany supports in developing climate change adaptation M&E system for agriculture sector of Viet Nam

Introducing the draft set of M&E indicators for climate change adaptation (CCA) in the agricultural sector and the upgraded M&E database were the focus of a training workshop last Friday, 10 June 2022. The workshop was co-organised by the Planning Department, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and GIZ Viet Nam, under the umbrella project “Support to Vietnam for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement” (VN-SIPA project).

Viet Nam recognizes in its Updated NDC 2020 and in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) that applying the M&E system at national and provincial levels is a core task, among others, to strengthen state management and resources in CCA and also Vietnam’s contribution to global efforts in this sector. In responding to this demand, VN-SIPA supports MARD in setting up a system to track national progress on the adaptation component of the Vietnam NDC and other sectoral climate goals, in cooperation with UNDP.

“MARD has developed an ambitious flagship product that provides a comprehensive overview of climate change adaptation in agriculture, and which is a backbone for reporting on national and international levels. In the next step we hope that the system will be officially launched through a decision of MARD”, announced Mr. Patric Schlager, Head of Adaptation Component VN-SIPA project, when opening the workshop.

The workshop was attended by representatives from 30 provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, line institutions and agencies of MARD, the Department of Climate Change under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Viet Nam General Statistic Offices, development partners, policy think tanks, NGOs and the climate-working community.

It introduced the database and the set of M&E indicators for CCA in the agriculture sector. During the discussion session, participants recognized the pioneering efforts of MARD in developing a sectoral M&E system, its feasibility, and the necessity to formalize this system, while also expecting alignment with the national system as specified in Decision 148/QĐ-TTg, dated 28/1/2022. Participants also raised the importance of pilot and capacity building for local governments in order to realize the system.

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Nguyen Van Viet, Director General of the Planning Department, emphasized the importance of this system with respect to reporting and governance, cross-learning and data transparency in the agriculture sector. He expects that the VN-SIPA project, other NGOs and international development partners will continue their cooperation with MARD to operate the CCA M&E system in the near future.

The VN-SIPA project aims to support the establishment of legal frameworks for implementing the national climate protection contribution (NDC) and the Paris Agreement. It also aims to promote inter-ministerial cooperation on climate protection affairs, the implementation of reduction measures (NAMA), and to apply ecosystem-based and climate-smart adaptation measures.