Hue City, VIETNAM – As a starting point for a series of upcoming activities on climate change adaptation and mitigation, members of the IFP Vietnam Alumni Group for Environment and Development (IVGED) organized the first workshop on climate change, entitled, “Sharing experience and preparing action plans to adapt to the impacts of climate change.” The event took place from October 26-27, 2009 in Hue City of Thua Thien-Hue province, Central Vietnam.

The objectives of the workshop were (i) to obtain general knowledge on climate change, including causes and effects; (ii) to gain empirical experience on how to adapt to the impacts of climate change through case studies and best practices shared by participants; (iii) to develop an action plan for communicating and exchanging experiences on implementing climate change-related activities; and (iv) to prepare to compile a practical handout on how to prevent, mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change in Vietnam.

This workshop was not only for IFP alumni. Each alumni member of the IVGED group was asked to bring a local counterpart involved in climate change-related work. The 33 individuals in attendance came from ten different provinces and from cities of three regions: South, Central and North Vietnam. Among the ten key speakers and presenters, half were IFP alumni. Others came from different government and non-governmental organizations, such as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Challenge to Change, Sustainable Rural Development, and the International Center for Environment Management.

The workshop included topics such as “Governmental policies on climate change,” “Research on poverty and climate change,” and "Climate change and biodiversity.” Participants agreed to compile and publish a practical handout on prevention, mitigation and adaptation to the impacts of climate change in Vietnam. In addition, participants committed to integrate climate change-related activities into their working programs. A small group of IVGED has been working on a mini-project proposal to seek funding for follow-up activities.

IFP Vietnam alumni who have returned to the country can joined any of the seven alumni subgroups:  Education, Health, Information Technology, Community Development, Environment and Development, Arts and Culture, and Hospitality/Charity.

For more information about Vietnam Alumni, see: IFP Vietnam Alumni

Members of IFP Vietnam Alumni Group for the Environment & & Development (IVGED)



Presentation by a representative of network of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Vietnam NGOs (VNGOs)
for Climate Change