Increasing energy efficiency is central to the efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help curb climate change in the country. The Vietnam Energy Efficient Public Lighting is an ambitious US$15 million plan, funded by the Global Environment Facility, UNDP, central and local government, and the private sector, to install and promote the use of energy efficient lighting across the country. Lighting accounts for 25 percent of all electricity consumed in Viet Nam.

Cities across Viet Nam are starting to embrace green and energy-efficient street lighting as they struggle with rising electricity costs and rapid urban growth. Using energy-efficient lighting helps
save power, reduces carbon emissions and cuts electricity costs.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Bac Kinh, senior technical advisor of the Vietnam Energy Efficient Public Lighting (VEEPL) project, which is supported by UNDP,says that in the past most Vietnamese cities did not pay attention to public lighting. “[However,] cities across the country have come to realize that efficient public lighting reflects the level of development and affects the quality of life significantly,” Dr. Kinh explains.

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A UN funded project has helped preserve the unique environment of the Con Dao islands and ensured that future development of the islands is environmentally sound and sustainable.

Con Dao, 5 June 2011 – The fate of this 16-island archipelago about 180km off Viet Nam’s south-eastern coast – famed for its pristine white sand, aquamarine sea, coral reefs and virgin mangrove – has hung in the balance for decades. The island chain’s postcard prettiness would have been lost forever if developers had had their way. But environmental sensitivity has seemingly won the day.

A US$1.8 million coastal and marine biodiversity conservation project, funded by UNDP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), has instilled environmental awareness in the minds of local leaders and helped prevent development which would otherwise have threatened the future of the island chain.

“We are very pleased see that the project has enabled a paradigm shift towards sustainable development for the Con Dao islands. The project truly helps to protect the islands’ rich biodiversity which is of global significance,” says Dao Xuan Lai, head of the sustainable development unit at UNDP Viet Nam.

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February 2011 - Ms. Duong Thi Thanh Thuy, Director of Lacquerworld company, has recently participated in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Empretec programme. The Empretec programme promotes a methodology of behavioral change that helps entrepreneurs put ideas into action and helps business to grow. After participating in the course, Ms. Duong Thi Thanh Thuy commented: “This course helps to improve a lot of behaviors that include System planning and monitoring and taking calculated risks. Now I know how to make plan with a clear timeframe and know how to anticipate and avoid risk in the future”. 

Lacquerworld is among the 50 beneficiary companies selected under the UN joint programme ‘Green Production and Trade to Increase Income and Employment Opportunities for the Rural Poor’. The programme aims to increase income and employment opportunities for raw material growers/collectors and grassroots producers of handicrafts and small furniture, targeting 4,800 poor households in four northern provinces of Viet Nam, namely Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Hoa Binh and Phu Tho.

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Five to seven women still die almost every day due to pregnancy or childbirth in Viet Nam. Although the maternal mortality ratio has declined significantly over the past few years, there are still big differences between regions – from a low of 40 up to 410 deaths per 100,000 live births in some areas. The highest ratios are found in remote and mountainous ethnic minority areas of the country, partly due to the shortage of skilled birth attendants and health care workers in these areas. Cultural barriers also keep many of the women in these areas from using reproductive health services. To address this issue, UNFPA is supporting an initiative to recruit and train local women to become village-based midwives.

MA DU VILLAGE, Ninh Thuan Province, Viet Nam – After doing some chores on her small farm, Cha Ma Lea Thi Te puts down her farming equipment, washes her hands thoroughly, picks up a kit that includes supplies for an uncomplicated delivery and takes off to visit her clients. She is one of 49 graduates of the 18-month midwife training programme for ethnic minority women supported by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, in three mountainous provinces.

Combining theory and practice, this pilot programme works to improve antenatal and primary health care services at village and commune levels, and thus contribute to reducing maternal and child mortality among ethnic minority people.

Right after finishing the training last March, Te, who belongs to the Rac Lay ethnic group, started to provide health care services in her village. She has quite a busy schedule now.

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Ha Noi, June 10 2010 - The launch of UNDP’s regional Human Development Report (HDR) for Asia Pacific in early March 2009 in Hanoi was an example of how the One UN Communications Team has facilitated a stronger and more coherent UN voice on key development challenges in Viet Nam.

The HDR focused on important issues for Viet Nam that relate to the work of multiple UN agencies: gender equality and economic power, political decision-making and legal rights. To ensure that the expertise and views of relevant agencies were included, the Communications Team coordinated a joint UN approach for the national press launch: an interagency panel consisting of heads of agencies from UNDP, UNFPA, UNIFEM (part of UN Women) and ILO, along with the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Gender Advisor, shared their views and answered questions from more than 40 media representatives.

This approach strengthened the focus on the issues, with the UN providing a clear multi-dimensional perspective on gender in Viet Nam and representatives of each participating agency providing their unique insights.

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