James Adam, World Bank Vice President for the East Asia and Pacific Region, made the statement at a reception given by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai in Hanoi on February 2.

Adam praised the Vietnamese government for having introduced timely and effective policies to weather the recent global economic recession, as well as policies to meet its sustainable development goal in the coming period.

He said the Vietnamese government’s recent outstanding performance has built up the World Bank’s trust, laying a foundation for strengthening cooperation and assistance between the two sides.

The WB will prioritise development programmes to help Vietnam cope with climate change, said Adam.

Deputy PM Hai thanked the WB for providing effective assistance to Vietnam in recent times, especially in poverty reduction, sustainable development, public investment reform and aid sources to ride out the global storm.

He said coping with climate change is very important to Vietnam’s sustainable development and that both sides can work and identify priority areas for cooperation in the immediate and longer terms.

Vietnam hopes the WB will increase financial support for research projects to put forward specific solutions to rising sea levels and changes in river water resources.

VietNamNet/VOV