Mekong Delta Resilient Business Network officially makes debut

ABO/NDO – The Mekong Delta Resilient Business Network (MRBN), the first of its kind in the country, made its debut during a ceremony held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)'s chapter in Can Tho and The Asian Foundation (TAF) on May 6 morning.

The MRBN will work to strengthen partnership for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta, climate change adaption and reduction of climate change impacts.

It now has operational rules and a 39-member executive board comprising academics, business executives and experts in rice and fruit exports, resilient technology and logistics services.

In his remarks, Director of VCCI Can Tho Nguyen Phuong Lam outlined a number of activities underway in the Mekong Delta, including studies on the state of the ongoing drought and saline intrusion in the region and negative impacts of climate change on local enterprises and economy, surveys on climate- and drought-resilient business models and symposiums with domestic and foreign specialists seeking solutions for the management of and long-term response to natural disaster risks.

Members of the newly-established Mekong Delta Resilient Business Network (MRBN) are introduced at a ceremony on May 6. (Photo: VNA).

Lam voiced his hope that the MRBN will not only create initiatives and promote experience sharing but also act as a think tank for the government in policy making.

During the event, the MRBN signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Can Tho University’s Research Institute for Climate Change (DRAGON-Mekong Institute) for future cooperation.

The Mekong Delta, known for its fertility and rice fields, has been facing enormous challenges posed by climate change and upstream activities.

According to the World Bank’s assessment, Vietnam is one of the five countries hardest hit by climate change, with a one-metre rise in sea levels likely to affect 10 percent of population and cause losses equal to 10 percent of GDP in delta regions.

(Source: NDO)