Mr. Pham Huy Hoan, Director of the Viet Nam Fund for Promoting Education;

Mr. Pham Tuan Anh, Editor-in-Chief of Dan Tri;

Mr. Dae-Hoon Jung, Country Director of World Share Viet Nam;

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to be with you all today in this room and online to celebrate the launch of the crowdfunding campaign titled “Safe Houses Save Lives”.

Let me start by recognizing the issue that has brought us here today. Viet Nam is facing an increasingly complex and volatile climate. As a result, disasters have been happening more frequently and more intensely and posing a growing risk to people’s lives, livelihoods, and property.

Climate change affects the poor first and foremost, and in Viet Nam this also especially means those who live near the coast, where the storms and flooding are most severe. During last fall’s record-setting storm season, the Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority reported that over 600,000 houses had been affected by floods and storms. We know from experience that majority of these houses would have belonged to the poor and near-poor households who are also the least able to afford to repair and rebuild their homes.

We at UNDP Viet Nam have been working to build resilience to disasters in Viet Nam for many years. We have learned that developing solutions for real long-term resilience are best accomplished when we work together, and when everyone is engaged in the process, from government and the private sector all the way down to local communities and individuals.

We were very pleased to see that the resilient houses designed by UNDP and Ministry of Construction proved successful during the floods and storms late last year. We will hear real-life stories today about the how these storm resilient houses have impacted the lives of people. Now that the houses have been tried and tested, it is critical that they are replicated and made available to all vulnerable people living in areas prone to storms and floods.

We believe that the more resilient houses are built, the less people will suffer from loss and damages when storms and floods strike, and the more quickly they will be able to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. Critically, with safe homes and protected property the less people will need emergency support in the future.  It is estimated that over 100,000 resilient houses are needed to meet the demand of vulnerable households in typhoon-prone coastal areas.  With joined up action we believe the goal can be achieved. UNDP invites all partners to join with us to build more storm resilient houses to ensure that no one is left behind.

That is why today, we are launching this crowdfunding campaign. “Safe Houses Save Lives” offers a way for everyone to support the most vulnerable among us in a real way, using practical and low-cost housing designs.

At UNDP, we believe that no one should be left behind. As the central coastal provinces recover, we want to ensure that the most vulnerable families are included in the process of rebuilding for flood and storm resilience. The next time a typhoon or storm arrives on the coast, no one should be afraid of losing everything.

The over 3,500 resilient houses supported and built by UNDP have already protected many families, and in some cases even their neighbours and friends.  With this campaign, we hope that soon these storm resilient houses will be able to protect even more people. While our initial goal is to build 100 houses for poor and near-poor families in Quang Binh, it is our hope that this will set the model for building thousands more.

I would like to express my great appreciation to the Viet Nam Fund for Promoting Education and Dan Tri for their partnership in this joint endeavour. Dan Tri is already recognized for its awareness and advocacy work to support positive social impacts for Viet Nam’s poor and disadvantaged. I hope that, by joining forces, we will be able to effect even greater change as we move forward in this campaign together.

I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to World Share Viet Nam for their generous support. They are the first to contribute to this campaign.

We invite all partners to join us in the ‘Safe Lives, Safe Homes’ Campaign.  We truly look forward to working with your support and seeing how far our joined up efforts can reach to extend storm resilient houses that protect the poorest and most vulnerable people along the central coast from the impacts of future storms.

Finally, thank you all again for being here today in person, and virtually. As we approach the time for Viet Nam to celebrate the New Year, I would like to take this opportunity to offer you my warmest wishes for a wonderful Tet holiday. May the upcoming year of the Buffalo be full of happiness, success, and especially good health for us all.

Thank you, xin cam on