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Italy-ASEAN Partnership. AICS Hanoi inaugurates the Project Office in Jakarta

Press Release – Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – AICS Hanoi 

 

Hanoi, 05/19/2024—Annamaria Iotti, Head of Office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in Hanoi, went to Jakarta on May 16th to inaugurate the new project office at the Italian Embassy. The branch office will implement the cooperation activities defined by the Italy-ASEAN partnership.

Italy acquired the status of ASEAN Development Partner in September 2020. Since then, AICS, in collaboration with the Embassy of

Benedetto Latteri, Italian Ambassador to Jacarta, Annamaria Iotti, Head of office of AICS Hanoi (left), Luciana Andreini, Italy-ASEAN Partnership Coordinator (right). 

Italy in Jakarta and the ASEAN Secretariat, has promoted various development cooperation initiatives in favour of the area’s countries. Agricultural mechanization, fishing and aquaculture, sustainable tourism and geothermal energy, and health are the areas of projects in which the high expertise of the Italian cooperation system provides a significant contribution in support of the development of communities and territories.

“The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, through the Hanoi field office, which I am honoured to represent, is constantly committed to strengthening the Italy-ASEAN partnership through projects aimed at improving the living conditions of the populations of the region. Partnership is one of the pillars of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and implementing this important collaboration tool is an integral part of our mission. The Project Office, operational from today at the Italian Embassy in Jakarta, will allow the Agency to streamline relations with the ASEAN Secretariat, improving the effectiveness of our cooperation action,” declared Annamaria Iotti to the margin of his visit to Jakarta.

The strategic partnership with ASEAN paves the way for initiatives that reflect the most advanced dynamics of development cooperation. These involve Italian excellence, ranging from civil society organizations to research institutes and universities to the private sector.

Innovative financial instruments, such as Blending and Fondo Clima, can strengthen the adoption of these cooperation methods.

Southeast Asia seems to be a particularly favourable scenario for the concrete implementation of Law No. 125/2014 on cooperation reform and the global partnership outlined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

AICS and MUFPP: A Collaborative Effort for the Promotion of Sustainable Food Systems in Schools in Vietnam

Group picture at Casa Italia, after the meeting

Hanoi, May 15 – The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact – MUFPP is an international agreement between cities around the world committed “to developing sustainable, inclusive, resilient, safe  and diversified food systems to guarantee healthy and accessible food for all within a framework of rights-based action, to reduce food waste, preserve biodiversity and to mitigate the effects of climate change.” The framework for action also contributes to achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda locally. Launched on October 16 2015, at the Milan Expo, themed “Feeding the planet, life energy”, the MUFPP addresses various nutrition-related challenges, including food insecurity, malnutrition, sustainability and food waste. Currently, 280 cities around the world have joined the Pact.

Since the end of 2019, the Italy-ASEAN Association, recognizing the global importance of food sustainability systems through City Diplomacy, has partnered with the Municipality of Milan to raise awareness among ASEAN countries about this crucial issue. As a result, the MUFPP has been extended to the Southeast Asia region with the project “Spreading Experience and Knowledge on School Meal Programs in ASEAN Cities”. This initiative aims to disseminate expertise between cities, facilitate and promote knowledge exchange and experiences in food policy and food system transformation, and support them in identifying the best strategy to address their local problems with a multi-sectoral approach, to guarantee the right to nutritious food for all. So far, 18 cities in the ASEAN region have joined the initiative. The AICS Office in Hanoi, within the framework of the Convention signed between the Municipality of Milan and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, has been tasked with supporting the diffusion of the Pact in Vietnam, a Member State of ASEAN, and facilitating the identification and involvement of new municipalities in the country interested in the initiative.

MUFPP Secretary Filippo Gavazzeni

Within this framework, last May 10, in the Sala Generali of Casa Italia, in the presence of the agricultural phytosanitary Expert Renzo Moro of the Italian Embassy in Hanoi, the Infrastructure and WASH Coordinator Luca Sartorelli and the liaison officer Dung Quoc Nguyen of AICS Hanoi, a meeting took place between the MUFPP Delegation, led by Secretary Filippo Gavazzeni visiting the country, accompanied by  Chiara Pontillo, “Rural Development and Food Security” Office of AICS headquarter, and the Representatives of the provinces of Haiphong, Lang Son and Sapa. Bich Pham, Founder of the Slow Food Community of Vietnam, also participated in the meeting. The meeting favoured the exchange and sharing of information on the contents and purposes of the Pact, on the specific Project activated in the ASEAN region and on the food practices and systems in use in Vietnamese schools, providing solid foundations for proactive future collaboration aimed also at to the adhesion of Vietnamese cities to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. The MUFPP delegation will move in the next few days to the towns of Phuc Yen City (North Vietnam), Da Nang, Hue, Tam Ky and Hoi An (central Vietnam), and Can Tho (South Vietnam) to meet the local authorities and reply information meetings to collect as many expressions of interest in joining the Pact.

AICS Hanoi at MACFRUT 2024: Agricultural mechanization to mitigate the effects of climate change and foster development in Southeast Asia

Hanoi, May 13th — The AICS Hanoi Office participated on May 8th-10th in MACFRUT 2024, one of the largest fairs dedicated to the fruit and vegetable sector held in Rimini, Italy.

The event opened with a speech by AICS Director Marco Rusconi entitled ‘Cooperating for Innovation: the Mattei’s Plan applied in local realities’ where he emphasized the importance of innovation and its relevance as driving force behind the Italian Agency’s interventions.

Aics Director, Marco Rusconi, visiting AICS Hanoi Desk

The event was attended by thirteen AICS offices, each of which showcased their initiatives, results and sectoral partnerships. In representation of AICS Hanoi office, David Cecchi, Program Officer for the Italy-ASEAN Development Partnership, and Tiziana Fusco, former Head of Office of AICS Hanoi until March 31st, took part in the event, seizing the opportunity to present one of the Office’s projects addressed to ASEAN Member States in the field of innovation “Scientific and Technical Support to ASEAN Countries for Sustainable Agriculture – 3S“.

The initiative, still pending for approval by the ASEAN Secretariat, aims to strengthen resilience to climate change and promote socio-economic and environmental sustainability of agricultural practices within ASEAN. The presentation also involved the representatives of the Consortium that will implement the initiative, namely: Prof. Roberto Guidetti from UNIMI, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Territorial Production, Agroenergy, a leading institution; Prof. Matteo Dall’Acqua, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa; Dr Carlo Fadda and Andrea Ghione, from Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT, respectively Director of research and Project leader.

According to their different sphere of expertise, they will follow the implementation of the initiative by introducing sustainable agricultural solutions and agricultural mechanization for the corn, cassava, and sugar cane supply chains.

The identification and implementation of a methodology aimed at strengthening the ASEAN Member States’ production capacity and agricultural competitiveness will guarantee greater food security in the Member States recipients of the initiative. Additionally, the execution of a pilot project in one of ASEAN Member States will develop a model for strengthening production chains that could be used and adapted to other geographical contexts and further agricultural supply chains. The sector expertise made available by the implementing Consortium will support the development of environmentally friendly, user-friendly and smart solutions capable of responding to the adverse effects of climate change, confirming the innovative spirit of the initiatives of the Italian Agency for Cooperation to Development in Southeast Asia.

Finally, the project’s implementation will reinforce the status of Italy as ASEAN development partner, obtained in September 2020.

Tay Ninh: Inauguration ceremony of the Wastewater Treatment plant

Press Release – Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – AICS Hanoi

Hanoi, 17/04/2024 – On April 16, a wastewater treatment plant was inaugurated in the city of Tay Ninh, in southern  Vietnam, in the presence of Mr. Tran Van Chien, Vice chairman of the Tay Ninh Provincial People’s Committee, Mrs. Annamaria Iotti, Head of the Office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Hanoi, Mr. Pham Trung Chanh, Chairman of Tay Ninh City People’s Committee, leaders of Tay Ninh Project Management Unit, representative of Contractor and several other representatives from both sides.

Ms Annamaria Iotti, head of AICS Hanoi, and Mr Tran Van Chien, Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh Provincial People’s Committee, with representatives of local authorities and companies.

The event marked the completion of one of the two components of the initiative “Tay Ninh Wastewater Collection and Treatment System Project”, funded by the Italian Government through a € 9.7 million-euro soft loan signed in 2016. The second component of the initiative, which includes the rehabilitation and construction of a drainage system and domestic wastewater collection system for Tay Ninh town, will be completed by 2025. The project was implemented by the Tay Ninh City People’s Committee.

The Italian Ambassador in Vietnam, H.E. Mr. Marco della Seta, expressed his appreciation, affirming: “Today, we celebrate not just the completion of the Tay Ninh Wastewater Treatment plant, but also the strong partnership between Italy and Vietnam. This is another significant step towards the environmental sustainability that Vietnam is striving for. We are proud to be a supportive friend of Vietnam in this journey.”

Until today, Tay Ninh city did not have a separate collection system for wastewater and stormwater. The existing sewage system discharged into the canals without any previous treatment, originating problems such as water contamination, health and hygiene issues. The absence of an appropriate drainage system also caused flooding and overflowing of the city’s canals.

Ms Annamaria Iotti’s visit to the wastewater treatment plant with the project team.

“The implementation of the project contributes to the renovation and upgrading of the city’s infrastructure, improving environmental sanitation conditions, thereby enhancing the quality of life for residents and promoting the socio-economic development of Tay Ninh province in general and Tay Ninh city in particular.” declared Mr. Tran Van Chien, Vice chairman of the Tay Ninh Provincial People’s Committee.

Myanmar’s forgotten humanitarian and human rights crises: the EU and the international community are needed now more than ever

AICS Hanoi, engaged in the humanitarian assistance in Myanmar, is glad to share the following press release issued by the European Union.

Bruxelles, March 11, 2024 – “The European Union and the international community must remain by Myanmar’s side and increase humanitarian and development assistance”, Vice-President of the European Parliament Heidi Hautala said today ahead of an art exhibition in Brussels. The exhibition, open to the public from 20 to 24 March 2024, sheds light on the struggles of Myanmar people, and especially women, amid the country’s deteriorating security environment.

The exhibition – ‘Our Voices, Our Needs’ – enables people from inside Myanmar coming from different ethnicities, religions, regions and backgrounds to represent their daily lives, visions and dreams through various forms of art. It is an open space for self-expression. It provides visitors to the exhibition with an opportunity for both contemplation and action. The exhibition is supported by the European Union and the European Parliament.

“Our Voices, Our Needs” Struggles and challenges that women are facing amid deteriorating security situation in Myanmar showcased at Brussels art exhibition

In February 2021, a military coup halted Myanmar democratic transition, with devastating effects for the country and its people. As of today, over 7,200 civilians have been killed and more than 20,000 detained, with 119 on death row.  The country is plunging daily into deeper humanitarian and socio-economic crisis, with 2.6 million people internally displaced, almost half of the population living under the poverty line, and 18.6 million people in need of humanitarian support (up from 1 million before the coup). It is estimated that more than 9.7 million of these are women and girls. Their vulnerability to trafficking, gender- based violence and other violations have spiraled in the last 3 years.  Despite the broadening humanitarian disaster, the UN estimates that in 2023 only 29% of the humanitarian needs were met.

Ms Hautala, a renowned human rights defender and former Minister for International Development of Finland who has worked for decades to give voice to dispossessed and oppressed peoples around the world, said “It would be easy for the EU and the international community to listen to some voices that are demanding we should abandon our presence and work in Myanmar. But in fact it’s more important than ever that we are on the ground, listening to people and supporting them in their most basic needs”.

“As in any conflict situation, women are often those who bear the heaviest burden. We haven’t seen poverty levels like this in Myanmar for more than 15 years. Development gains that took decades have unraveled rapidly”, a humanitarian expert added. “People’s livelihoods are endangered more than ever, and the uncertainty that characterizes daily life is affecting all aspects of an already fragile economy hard-hit by inflation and shortages”, she added.

Women have played a pivotal role in standing up to the regime, and have also been quick to step in to provide support systems to their families and communities. They serve as multipliers of essential goods and social services. Myanmar is a society in which women’s voices are often overshadowed and marginalised. Since the military coup, gross human rights violations in Myanmar have multiplied. The voices of the Myanmar people are growingly silenced by the military junta and restrictions on freedoms of expression, media, association, travel, access to information and to the internet are muting the voices of those in more vulnerable positions. As one of the artists whose works are showcased in the exhibition signaled, “showing our work in Brussels is a way to remind the international community about the largely forgotten crisis afflicting our country and its people.”

The Head of the EU Delegation to Myanmar, Ambassador Ranieri Sabatucci, said: “The EU has committed more than €290 million over the past three years to address the multifaceted crisis in Myanmar. This has been a vital lifeline for the people. We have also been supporting and advocating for maintaining the hundreds of thousands decent jobs created for women mostly before the coup, in spite of the economic crisis and restrictions imposed. All EU development and humanitarian funding is channeled via international and local partner organisations. The European Union is as determined as ever to play its part in supporting the needs and aspirations of the people of Myanmar. But there’s a funding gap for humanitarian actions of well over half a billion dollars that necessitates other countries and partners to step in with their support. That’s why visibility actions like this exhibition are so important.”

‘Our Voices, Our Needs’ – An art exhibition of the unseen voices of women in Myanmar Open to the public and can be visited from 20 to 24 March 2024 at 33 Rue Simonis, 1050 Brussels, from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs daily. The exhibition is supported by the European Union and the European Parliament.

The Director of AICS Office XI “Human Resources” Annamaria Iotti on mission to AICS Hanoi, Vietnam

The Director of AICS Office XI “Human Resources” Annamaria Iotti and AICS Hanoi Team

Hanoi – The one-week mission of Ms. Annamaria Iotti, Director of AICS Office XI “Human Resources”, at AICS field office in Hanoi, Vietnam, ended this February 23rd. The visit aimed at familiarizing her with the activities managed by the Office and at getting acquainted with its local partners in view of her future temporary regency, scheduled to start on April 1st. The mandate of Ms. Tiziana Fusco, the current AICS Hanoi Head of Office, will end after two years on March 31st.

To encourage an effective change of ownership of the office, Ms. Iotti made the acquaintance of the Italian Ambassador in Hanoi, H.E. Marco Della Seta, and virtually met the Italian Ambassador in Manila, H.E. Marco Clemente, and the Italian Ambassador in Yangon, H.E. Nicolo Tassoni Estense. Furthermore, she had been introduced to the Director of International Relations of the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning, Pham Hoang Mai. Finally, she had the opportunity to participate in the Development Counsellors meeting hosted by the European Union Delegation in Vietnam and in several sectoral meetings with the Program Experts of the office’s initiatives.

“We hope that all the meetings and exchange opportunities had been useful and stimulating for the future role as regent of Ms. Iotti. As the end of my mandate approaches, I positively evaluate the work carried out and the results achieved by the regional AICS Office in Hanoi, considering the peculiarity of the region of intervention that pushes the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation to explore innovative cooperation strategies and tools” declared Ms. Fusco on the sidelines of the visit.

To date, AICS Hanoi focuses its action on the management of water resources, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), the fight against climate change, healthcare and sustainable rural development in Vietnam, the Philippines, Small Island States of the Pacific and at a regional level with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It also intervenes in humanitarian and peace-building activities in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

“The visit at AICS Hanoi office allowed me to delve deeper into our intervention strategies and ongoing initiatives in the regional area of competence of the Office, as well as in its organizational and management of the technical and administrative work. The meetings with some of the main institutional interlocutors revealed a particular appreciation for our Agency and its professionals. Therefore, it is crucial for the management of AICS Headquarters to get as close as possible to its field offices which are the “beating hearts” of the Italian Cooperation” concluded Ms. Iotti at the end of her mission.

Call for Proposals 2023 for CSOs and local authorities

The AICS Hanoi office is pleased to announce the publication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale of the Call for Proposals 2023 for the granting of contributions to Initiatives promoted by Territorial Bodies, Civil Society Organizations, and other non-profit entities registered in the List.

On February 8, 2024, the Call for Proposals 2023 Info Day will be held at the AICS Office in Florence. The event will take place in a hybrid format – both in-person and online. Registration is required, and you can sign up using the following registration link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx…

Proposals must be submitted via certified email (PEC) to the address: bandi.osc@pec.aics.gov.it.

The deadline for submitting proposals is set for 1:00 PM on May 6, 2024.

Each proposed initiative must be related to a single field of intervention among those listed below:

  • Professional training – employment – entrepreneurship
  • Governance and basic services
  • Sustainable urban development and urban food policies
  • Food security and sustainable agriculture
  • Environment, combating climate change, and energy

The AICS Hanoi office invites Civil Society Organizations and Territorial Bodies operating in Bangladesh to seize this opportunity.

For further information on the Call for proposals 2023, please refer to the following link: https://shorturl.at/bGHKP

AICS Hanoi participates in the presentation of the study “Agricultural Industry and Mechanization in Vietnam”

Last 15th of January, the “Agricultural Industry and Mechanization in Vietnam” study, carried out by ICE and Federunacoma, was presented in Hanoi. The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Hanoi expresses its gratitude to the Italian Embassy for the invitation to participate in the event’s round table, where AICS presented the “Scientific and Technical Support for Sustainable Agriculture in Asean Countries – 3S” project, included in its 2023 Programming and currently in its formulation phase. 

The project aims at increasing the resilience to climate change and the economic and environmental sustainability of agricultural practices in ASEAN countries through the introduction of sustainable agriculture and low impact farming mechanization solutions in maize, cassava and sugarcane value chains. 

The project will be implemented by a consortium composed by the University of Milan, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA) of Pisa, and the Alliance Bioversity & CIAT International.

A sincerely appreciation is also due to ICE and Federunacoma for their contribution to the agricultural sector, the Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post Harvest Technology (VIEAP), co-organizer and host of the event, and the participants who led the way for an interesting debate.

 

AICS – Office V on monitoring mission to Vietnam

The monitoring mission of AICS’s Office for “Environment and Land Use” – Ufficio V to Vietnam ended on December 9th, 2023. The three-week mission was part of the Office V monitoring activities for the year 2023 and included a week of institutional meetings and documentation analysis at AICS Hanoi Office along with two weeks of on-site/field visits at four project sites.

During the first week, the delegation held meetings with local authorities, including the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Department of Water Resources Management (MONRE), and the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Network of the Ministry of Environment. Besides, the delegation met with some representatives of the donor community, namely the European Delegation, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and United Nation Development Programme Office.

During the following two weeks, the delegation visited three projects’ sites accompanied by an MPI official and two team members of AICS Office in Hanoi. The three projects, pertaining to the WA.S.H sector and financed through Italian ODA soft loans, include the “Water Supply in Binh Thuan” project aimed at supplying and distributing potable water, the “Tay Ninh Wastewater Collection and Treatment System” project and the “Urban Sanitation of Nui Thanh, Quang Nam Province” project, both focused on domestic wastewater collection and treatment. The on-site visits were followed by meetings with local authorities, consultants and contractors involved in the execution of the works. The delegation also visited Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces, where the second phase of an ODA soft loan project named “Improving Vietnam’s Flood Forecasting and Warning System, Phase II” was completed in late 2020. This latter intervention included a training package for local technicians and the installation of weather monitoring stations at various sites around the province.

During the meetings and briefings, the Italian delegation submitted questionnaires, reviewed project documents, and interviewed authorities, local actors, and stakeholders, adopting various monitoring tools including the Environmental Sustainability Matrix. The monitoring mission helped to assess critical issues and best practices, also providing a valuable opportunity to reflect on the future of the Italian cooperation in Vietnam and the South-East Asia region in the field of water resource management, natural disaster mitigation, and fight against climate change.

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AICS Hanoi together with International Committee of the Red Cross to address sexual violence in Cox’s Bazar area

Italian Cooperation in Southeast Asia has always placed combating sexual and gender-based violence among its main objectives, funding several projects in Myanmar and Bangladesh. In the latter country, where AICS has been playing its role in supporting humanitarian interventions in the Cox’s Bazar area since 2018, the Italian Cooperation has committed itself alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), funding – over the period 2021-2023 – two grants worth €1 million each for the protection of the Rohingya refugee population.

There are approximately 940.000 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar district, more than half of whom are women, spread across 33 highly congested camps and experiencing dire living conditions that make women particularly vulnerable to abuses such as sexual violence. Indeed, the rate of recorded abuse in the proximity of the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar is considerably high, and the numerical figure of recorded violence is undoubtedly much lower than the actual figure. This is because the context of absolute fragility experienced by refugee women, who lack recognized legal status, disincentivizes in most cases the reporting of the violence they have suffered, thus making reliable data collection on the phenomenon very difficult.

In this context, the Committee of the International Red Cross (ICRC) has been implementing – also thanks to the aforementioned AICS grants – a program to address the emergency, with a strong emphasis on the need to protect the Rohingya women population through actions of legal advice and Protection, training for the benefit of medical, prison and security personnel, as well as widespread medical and health interventions and important prevention initiatives.

Following a community-based approach, ICRC has set up face-to-face opportunities to attempt to engage each community component in the journey to address gender-based violence, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the needs of survivors and avoiding their stigmatization. In order to make psychological, psychosocial and other related health support facilities available to victims of violence, in 2022 ICRC has also invested in equipping two medical centres, renovating their infrastructure and providing financial support and technical training to the staff.