23^rd  May – Together with the headquarter of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, AICS Hanoi participates in the 10^th World Water Forum 2024 from the 18^th to 25^th May 2024 held in Bali, Indonesia.

The Forum’s central theme is “Water for Shared Prosperity”, a topic of utmost importance for the AICS mission.

Within this context, AICS Hanoi boasts a long commitment to the water sector, as proven by the implementation of a considerable package of water-related projects in Vietnam, contributing to the Agency’s mission in implementing the 2030 Sustainable Agenda.

On May 22^nd, from the AICS Pavilion in Bali, AICS Hanoi presented a hybrid workshop entitled “Enhancing Water Security in Vietnam: Challenges and Strategies“. The workshop has been an opportunity to provide participants with an overview on the management of water resources within the country and with insights of the challenges encountered and the solutions implemented by the Vietnamese Government with the support of Italian Cooperation.

 

Ms Annamaria Iotti, AICS Hanoi Head of Office, opened the session and highlighted how Italy, as Vietnam’s crucial partner since the 1990s, has implemented several initiatives in the country related to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in partnership with the Vietnamese Government and the local provinces.

On the Vietnamese side, Ms Nguyen Thuy Anh, Head of the Development Cooperation Board from the Department of Water Resources Management of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam (MONRE), discussed the current state of Vietnam’s water resources, providing updates on the Government’s water resource policies. Finally, she outlined some of the strategic actions needed to ensure water security, considering all the challenges posed by climate change, the lack of water accessibility and droughts, to name some of those Vietnam are facing due to its rapid socioeconomic growth.

Mr Luca Sartorelli, AICS Hanoi WASH Coordinator present in Bali, moderated the workshop. Mr Daniele Pittalis, WASH Program Officer, and Mr Nguyen Quoc Dung, Liaison Officer, focused on the two-level engagement of the Agency: water resource management and water access, quality, and hygiene. The workshop emphasized AICS approach towards solutions and strategies that promote Blue Economy for a better planning and management of water usage in Vietnam.

 

 

The AICS participates in the 10^th World Water Forum with four field offices (Hanoi, Tunis, Cairo and Maputo), various institutional stakeholders (Water Museum Global Network – UNESCO, CIHEAM Bari, One Water Italian Committee) and representatives of the private sector (Acea, Acquedotto Pugliese, Veragon); all of them working in the water sector at different levels.  The Italian Delegation at WWF, led by Prof. Francesco Corvaro, Italian Government’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, includes the Italian Ambassador to Indonesia, Benedetto Latteri, and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation Director, Mr Marco Riccardo Rusconi. 

On May 20^th, at the inauguration of the AICS Pavilion, during his open speech, Mr Rusconi stated: “Italy has developed a long tradition in the conservation and management of water resources, and, thanks to an ever-increasing awareness of civil society and national stakeholders on the topic of water, it has a clear role as a leading country in the water sector”.