CONINCO participates in APEC high-level urbanization forum, led by Ms. Phan Thi My Linh - Vice Minister of MOC

From June 2nd to June 3rdof 2016, Chinese National Development and Reform Commission cooperated withMinistry of Foreign Affairs(China) celebratedAPEC High-Level Urbanization Forum 2016 with the key of “Urbanization and Inclusive Growth” in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China.

Attending the forum, there were around 1,000 participants, in which around 200 foreign participants were leaders of ministries and departments, municipal governments, corporations, enterprises from APEC economies such as America, Canada, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Peru, Chile, Russia, Papua New Guinea...

Regarding Vietnamese delegation, Ms. Phan Thi My Linh - Vice Minister of MoC led the delegation to the forum. There werealso leaders of International Cooperation Department, Urban Development Agency, Technical Infrastructure Department, province of Can Tho, Rach Gia, My Tho andsome construction consultancy companies. Mr. Nguyen Van Cong – Member of BoM, General Director of CONINCO, represented CONINCO to attend this forum.

At the ministerial meeting on June 2nd, 2016, leaders from economies presented national and regional efforts in order to enhance urbanization process, contribute to national growth and improve international cooperation, specially emphasizing the role of digital technology, database technology and connectivity areas.

In the presentation, Ms. Phan Thi My Linh - Vice Minister of MoC shared experiences of urban development policies which were successfully implemented in Vietnam.

After 30 years of implementing the policy of "Renewal"in the field urbanization development, Vietnam has achieved positive results attached with the goals of economic growth and improve the quality of residents’life. Urbanization has had rapid growth in the major urban areas, spread, and even distributed throughout the country. Speed of increased urbanization rateis in common with many countries in the region, with the national urban population currently of 32.753 million people, urbanization rate of 35.7%...

To achieve the above positive results, Vietnam has applied many measures, orientations, policies, including 03 important contents. Firstly, the Government has issued orientation: The overall planning of urban development system in Vietnam. On the basis of this orientation, regions and provinces throughout the country have continued to concretize, formulatedregional and provincial planning andoriented other specialized plans. This orientation shall effectively promotethe role of guiding the local as well as ensuring the balance ability, regulating management at the national level.
Secondly, Vietnam consistently achieves the objective of economic growth in parallel with social security. Urban development objectives are deployed in parallel with urban upgrading. The Government has upgraded the national urban with major funds from the State budget and ODA fund. The projects in the program focuson renovating low-income areas, infrastructure connecting those areas with urban master. Hitherto, nearly 10 million urban residents have directly or indirectly benefited from the program.

Thirdly, Vietnam applied transformation model “government and people work together”, promoting the role of social organizations. With this ideal, Housing assistance program for the poor, which is hold by the Government,is deployed for 500,000 rural households...

As stated by Ms.Phan Thi My Linh, Urban development processes in Vietnam is facing objective and subjective difficulties and challenges. It is the more diverse and less predictable impact of climate change, increase the competitiveness of the extensive and globally integrating economy. That is the bottle necks in the form of urban growth to wards enlargement, in effective connection between urban infrastructure and urban - rural, the lack of diversity in the economic growth model, as well as lack of the autonomy and decentralization of urban management. These challenges have been the direct impact to the promotion of urban development and distinct characteristics and competitiveness.

Vice Minister asserts that the above-mentioned challenges of the urbanization process in Vietnam arealso challenges in many developing countries in Asia - Pacificcurrently. Therefore, every activity in a municipality of APEC countries may have a direct impact onother municipalitiesin near oceanin many ways, which explains why we should “think globally act locally”, assure the g-local benefit.

Vice Minister proposed a central theme of APEC collaboration and cooperation about urbanization in the coming time. Specifically,APEC countries coordinate in the development of knowledge about climate change response; remedial support of adverse effects; share experiences, information, assist technically inresistant urban development.

Regarding development cooperation, APEC countries promote cooperation at the level of central government as well as municipalities on urban governance model withnational, provincial and urban integration; economic growth model; improve conditions for infrastructure connection; improve urban competitiveness and support development of urban management through the key cooperation projects …

Vice Minister hopes the success of 1stAPEC High-level Urbanization Forum would be a good commencement for cooperation.

Also at the meeting, Ms.Phan Thi My Linh – Vice Minister of MoC introduced the APEC Vietnam 2017,in which the culminating wasAPEC High-level Week 2017, hold in Da Nang city.

On this occasion, the Vice Minister invitedAPEC economies to visit Vietnam in general, and big cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Can Tho in particular...

At APEC High-level Urbanization Forum 2016, there were also Symposium on infrastructure, internet technology city, sustainable urban development, energy efficiency, environmental protection, renovation and gentrification, creativity in urbanization, development of small and medium urban… Representing for Vietnam, Mr. Tran Quoc Thai - Deputy General Director of Urban Development Agency,presented the speech of “The process of urbanization in Vietnam - Practical experiences and lessons”.
Source: baoxaydung.com.vn