The collaboration will support water utility companies in their ongoing transformation to become autonomous, service-oriented organizations. The partnership will also assist VWSA and its members to build resilience, promote inclusiveness, improve governance, catalyze financing, and foster innovation in the water and sewerage sector in the Southeast Asian nation through capacity building and project support activities.
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Signing of memorandum of understanding between ADB and the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (Photo courtesy of ADB) |
“Our collaboration will help key players in the water sector secure climate resilience and adaptive capacity, thereby supporting a more integrated and inclusive approach to water, sanitation, and hygiene in Vietnam. We stand ready to assist VWSA through our knowledge sharing and financial support, and further promote private sector development and financing for improved water supply and sanitation across VWSA members,” said ADB Country Director for Vietnam Shantanu Chakraborty
The country’s water sector has achieved impressive gains in commercial transformation, equitization, and operational expansion. Alongside tremendous opportunities to foster the sector’s growth, challenges remain due to rapid urbanization and climate change. This requires further attention and funding from both the public and private sectors.
“Under its guiding principle towards global integration, VWSA appreciates the effective collaboration between the Association and ADB over the past years”, said VWSA Chairman Nguyen Ngoc Diep. “The effectiveness of our cooperation in recent time laid a strong foundation for the partnership, moving towards the establishment of a development assistance fund to support the implementation of key activities of the water supply and sewerage sector in Vietnam.”
ADB has been providing financial and technical support to Vietnam’s water sector, for example, through a 1 billion USD multi-tranche facility that supported the Vietnam Water Sector Investment Program during the 2011-2020 period. The program benefited participating water utilities such as Binh Duong, Da Nang, Dak Lak, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Nam, Thai Nguyen, and Thua Thien Hue.
Source: VNA