(Photo: qdnd.vn)

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control held a meeting in Hanoi on Saturday where Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep stressed the severity and unpredictability of natural disasters hitting Vietnam. 3,600 Vietnamese people were killed and went missing by calamities in the past decade. Vietnam is one of the five countries most vulnerable to climate change, mostly sea level rise and saline intrusion, while its infrastructure to baffle natural disasters is still week.    

Deputy Minister Hiep said: “This year, the UN continues to engage in the global target D of the Sendai framework which is ‘Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services’ with the message “Build to Last”. The message, which aims at communicating and involving all communities and countries to respond to the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, is relevant to Vietnam. I believe that the efforts by the Vietnamese Government and people combining with international assistance in technology and infrastructure will improve Vietnam’s resilience against climate change and mitigate its impacts on our communities.”

(Photo: VNA)

This occasion was taken to announce winners of the comic contest “Saving the Earth: Children create superhero to fight against natural disasters and climate change” and launch the National Press Awards on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control for the first time this year which focuses on the role of communities.