UN in Viet Nam prioritizes early warning in 2026 support package

Four strategic priorities of the United Nations’ 2026 Support Package

On March 3, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep held a working session with Ms. Pauline Tamesis, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, regarding the 2026 operational plan of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership (DRRP).

During the meeting, Coordinator Pauline briefed the Deputy Minister on the United Nations’ support package for Viet Nam in 2026. The package consists of three components, designed to complement the activities that UN agencies will implement under the DRRP agreement.

She stated that the support package is approached from two perspectives: emergency response and strengthening disaster preparedness. In the medium and long term, the focus is on enhancing resilience, creating a bridge between immediate response and sustainable development strategies.

In addition to the UN agencies currently operating in Viet Nam, two entities play a crucial role in providing expertise, financial resources, and technical capacity across the entire humanitarian cycle and community recovery: the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Both are headquartered regionally in Bangkok and have collaborated closely with Vietnam in developing joint response plans over the past years.

Under the support package, four main groups of activities have been proposed. First, an After-Action Review (AAR) of the 2025 Joint Response Plan will be conducted to comprehensively assess the coordinating role of the United Nations across seven sectors: water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); shelter; food security; livelihoods; education; health; and protection. This activity is considered a critical step to draw lessons learned and enhance coordination effectiveness in the time ahead.

Second, the Contingency Plan will be updated and finalized. Relevant sectors will review and adjust the draft plan to ensure operational feasibility, while also organizing virtual meetings to harmonize implementation tools and monitor Minimum Preparedness Actions (MPA). OCHA will coordinate this process immediately after the initial step is completed.

Third, anticipatory action (AA) will be advanced through resources from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The Resident Coordinator’s Office, together with relevant partners, will discuss procedures for accessing funding, coordinate with the Government of Viet Nam to identify priority risks, develop scenarios, establish trigger thresholds, and finalize analytical models with technical support from OCHA.

Fourth, efforts will be made to strengthen the Early Warning System (EWS) over the medium and long term. Partners will conduct an After-Event Review (AER), using a specific storm as a case study to assess the accuracy, timeliness, and capacity to translate warnings into action. The findings will support the implementation of the National Strategy for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control to 2030, the workplan of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership, and the targets of the UNDRR Sendai Framework. They will also help the Government identify investment gaps, design and mobilize resources, and strive to keep disaster-related losses below 1.2% of GDP in line with the national strategic target.

Striving to finalize the contingency plan before the 2026 storm season

Welcoming the proposals from the United Nations, Deputy Minister Hiep described them as the most appropriate course of action for Viet Nam at this stage. Accordingly, 2026 will focus on conducting a comprehensive review of the 2025 results as a basis for developing the contingency plan for the following year. The Vietnamese side acknowledged the close coordination among the United Nations, partners, and domestic authorities in drafting the contingency plan from late 2024, which enabled the country to respond more proactively in 2025.

Regarding disaster prevention and control, the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment emphasized the need for a larger force, particularly non-specialized local responders. Viet Nam is currently strengthening capacity to ensure that each commune has at least 100 people equipped with essential knowledge and minimum equipment to proactively respond to natural disasters.

“Although progress has been made, several fatalities still occurred in 2025 due to the failure to access information in a timely manner. We therefore need to strengthen forecasting and communication efforts. In the context of many newly appointed local leaders, it is essential to ensure they have a firm grasp of their localities, understand the various types of natural hazards, develop action programs, and disseminate plans to communities. I propose that the Contingency Plan be finalized and approved in April 2026, ahead of the storm season which begins in May.

Regarding anticipatory action, Viet Nam is among the beneficiary countries of CERF - an effective mechanism for responding to floods and storms. I urge all parties to further clarify the content and implementation modalities to ensure maximum effectiveness,” Deputy Minister Hiep emphasized.

In the long term, the Deputy Minister underscored the need to enhance resilience through the Medium-Term Public Investment Plan for 2026-2030, with a focus on infrastructure to minimize flood-induced isolation. However, the Ministry’s leadership also candidly acknowledged that reinforcing residential housing remains a “major challenge” that cannot be immediately addressed solely through state resources. He therefore proposed direct community participation, alongside support from the Government and international organizations. To realize this roadmap, he called for a comprehensive review and the early completion of the legal framework, creating a solid foundation for local-level implementation.

“For the 2026-2030 plan, we look forward to close coordination from the United Nations with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, as well as the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority, to ensure effective implementation in the new phase. The objective for this period is to strive for double-digit growth while ensuring sustainable development, with disaster risk reduction serving as one of the key pillars of sustainability,” Deputy Minister Hiep stated.

On February 13, 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment approved and signed off on the 2025-2030 Action Plan of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership. The plan outlines key priorities grounded in Viet Nam’s practical context and international experience, focusing on: policy refinement; investment in anticipatory action; strengthening community information; enhancing post-disaster recovery capacity; reinforcing emergency response capabilities; and promoting the sharing of risk information, including financial risks, within the cooperation framework. The Ministry will continue to propose solutions to further strengthen coordination in the coming period.