AFoCO sponsors US$ 4.5 million for Vietnam's forestry industry

Vietnam is one of the first five countries participating in the Asian Forest Cooperation Agreement - AFoCO, actively contributing and receiving support from the Korean Government to implement four main activities: forest restoration and regeneration, adaptation to climate change, sustainable forest management, capacity building and technology transfer.

To date, AFoCO has sponsored Vietnam for four national-level projects with a total budget of about US$ 4.5 million. The project "Restoring and developing mangrove ecosystems in Thai Binh Province" has the largest budget, with total funding from the Korean Government of US$ 1.5 million.

Regarding funding for the ASEAN region, AFoCO is coordinating with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam to implement the project "Enhancing forest fire prevention capacity". Using funding of US$ 6.5 million from AFoCO and US$ 2 million from the ASEAN Korea Cooperation Fund, Southeast Asian countries will build a pilot forest fire prevention station. The station applies high technology, equipped with modern machinery (such as satellite images) to warn of early forest fires.

In addition to economic support, AFoCO projects in Vietnam also contribute to improving the capacity of local officials and people in conservation, development, and sustainable forest management. The organization has granted scholarships for master's and doctoral training in forestry to 6 young Vietnamese officials. In addition, Vietnam has sent over 80 officials to participate in training courses, seminars and international forums organized by AFoCO.

"I thank AFoCO colleagues for actively coordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to promote forestry cooperation activities between Vietnam and Korea recently. Projects funded by the Korean Government through AFoCO have contributed significantly to realizing programs, projects and policies to respond to climate change in Vietnam," Minister Le Minh Hoan showed appreciation.

The Minister added that the agroforestry project coordinated by AFoCO has been integrated into most national target programs by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Agroforestry models all contribute to improving income for farmers. Specifically, farmers participating in the project are trained to grow short-term crops to maintain and care for long-term crops. Those who keep forests gain additional income from forestry carbon credits.

In response, Executive Director Park Chongho praised the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Vietnam's strong commitment to sustainable forest protection, development and management. He believes that projects sponsored by the Korean side will ensure the well-being of people living near the forest.

AFoCO has agreed to sponsor and is coordinating with other countries to implement the project "Enhancing forest fire prevention capacity" for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. In addition, AFoCO is also supporting Vietnam in building the ASEAN-Korea Garden at the University of Forestry; The project to apply information technology in forest fire prevention will contribute to supporting the training of forestry students and improving the capacity of forestry staff to use new technology in forest fire prevention.

Regarding AFoCO's orientation, Mr. Park Chongho said, "Digital transformation is an inevitable trend today for the forestry industry. In the context of global warming and environmental disasters occurring unexpectedly and complicatedly, we need technology to predict the risks of forest fires, landslides, and pest and disease outbreaks".

Korea has continuously researched and launched tools to manage and monitor forest fires and soil erosion. Taking on the role of a bridge between Korea and ASEAN countries, AFoCO is committed to transferring technologies to predict risks, building a database to help make information transparent, and applying geographical indicators and remote sensing for sustainable forest management.

On top of the successes, Minister Le Minh Hoan shared about the project to build the Vietnam-Korea Forestry Innovation Center at Vietnam Forestry University, receiving positive feedback from Mr. Park. Chongho. AFoCO will also support the establishment of a Branch Office of the Korea - Mekong Forestry Cooperation Center (KMFCC) in Vietnam.

The AFoCO Agreement took effect from April 17, 2018, after member countries completed the signing and ratification of the Agreement. Vietnam officially joined the AFoCO Organization on February 17, 2017, according to Resolution No. 26/CP-NQ of the Government. Vietnam is one of the founding and active members of AFoCO and has successfully held the position of Chairman of the AFoCO Council for the 2018-2019 term.