NEW STUDENT ALUMNI STUDENT STAFF VIETNAMESE

Working with Dutch Water Authorities

On the morning of July 31^st, 2018, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Trung Tinh, Vice Rector of Can Tho University (CTU) and leaders of College of Environment and Natural Resources, Institute of Climate Change Research and Department of International Relations welcomed and worked with the Dutch Water Authorities, represented by Mr. Jan van der Molen, Strategist International Cooperation and Mr. Tjeerd Dijkstra, Project Manager, to discuss the implementation of Blue Dragon Project, towards long-term support of the Dutch Water Authorities for the Mekong Delta.

The meeting with the Dutch Water Authorities at the Administrative Building, CTU

Blue Dragon project, aimed to improve the capacity of water resources management in the localities in the Mekong Delta, is the working title of the future program for professional exchange between Vietnam and Dutch water managers in the Mekong Delta. Accordingly, Can Tho city will be piloted firstly and will be the basis to develop the project to the remaining provinces. The project will be implemented from 2018 to 2030. Blue Dragon is in the framework of of Blue Deal, an agreement between the Dutch Water Authorities and several Dutch ministries to join forces in their ambitions to contribute to water challenges worldwide. The Blue Deal provides an ambitious framework for long-term partnerships between water managers in the Netherlands and abroad to work on clean, sufficient and safe water with 2030 as a horizon. As framework and source for funding, the Blue Deal provides an opportunity to shape more structural and effective professional exchange in Vietnam, specifically for the Mekong Delta. Currently, the Blue Deal is being shaped, aiming to launch extensive programs for professional exchange worldwide by early 2019.

At the meeting, the two sides proposed and discussed an inception phase between June 2018 and March 2019 of the Blue Dragon Project to develop such extensive long-term cooperation program for the Mekong Delta - under the ambitious framework of the Blue Deal. Accordingly, the inception phase's objectives are to identify, engage and mobilize counterparts and other partners to collaborate in the program; explore and determine a feasible level of ambition of the program; identify required scope and focus for demand-driven knowledge exchange and capacity development; identify promising pilots and innovative solutions that provide an opportunity to accelerate professional exchange and contribute to the water challenges in the Mekong Delta; identify actual needs for support and advise to engage professional exchange between Vietnam and Dutch water managers; preparation of a program plan with 2030 as horizon and direction for the first 4 years; developing a method to monitor and evaluate impact on the program objectives; preparation of a proposal for funding within the framework of the Blue Deal; engage in preliminary activities for professional exchange to kick-start the program and to provide a smooth transition between current cooperation of Dutch Water Authorities in Vietnam and the future program for professional exchange under the framework of the Blue Deal.

After the meeting with CTU's leaders to introduce the project and initiate the inception phase of the Blue Dragon, the experts from the Dutch Water Authorities keep working with experts from CTU to expeditiously discuss the professional work to be implemented in the coming time.