Chi tiết tin - Sở Ngoại vụ

MCNV is an international non-governmental organization from the Netherlands, established in 1968. MCNV began its cooperation with Quang Tri Province in 1973, marked by its support for the construction of the Holland Hospital in Quang Tri. Since 1993, MCNV has implemented numerous community development programs and projects, and from 2005 expanded its activities into Laos. MCNV mobilizes resources from various donors, including the Government of the Netherlands, individual Dutch donors, the European Union, USAID/the U.S. Embassy, and other funding organizations. In recent years, MCNV’s work has focused on health development, social inclusion, and climate-adaptive community livelihood development. Its programs benefit poor households, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and women and children in vulnerable circumstances. In Quang Tri Province alone, MCNV has accumulated 30 years of experience through various programs and projects, including many implemented in the mountainous districts of Dakrong and Huong Hoa (prior to administrative restructuring).

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, MCNV will implement activities to increase income and employment opportunities for poor ethnic minority women in Huong Lap and Huong Phung Communes, while also addressing food insecurity among poor ethnic minority women and children in these project areas. Key activities include enhancing knowledge and skills for poor women to adopt and scale improved agricultural and non-agricultural production models; promoting forest-friendly livelihoods through the sustainable harvesting and commercialization of non-timber forest products; and improving access to and use of safe, nutritious food. The project budget is estimated at approximately EUR 600,000 (equivalent to about VND 18 billion), with a plannaed implementation period of 36 months from the date of approval until December 2028.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Pham Dung, Chief Representative of MCNV in Vietnam, commended the active and professional cooperation of the Department of Foreign Affairs during the preparation for the signing. He emphasized that Quang Tri is one of MCNV’s most longstanding and stable partners in Vietnam. He also shared MCNV’s priority directions for the coming period, which include focusing on sustainable livelihood models, supporting ethnic minority women, strengthening climate resilience, and enhancing community roles in managing local resources. Following the signing, MCNV will continue working with the Department’s technical division and relevant provincial agencies to finalize documents for approval and to conduct detailed community assessments to ensure project activities align with actual needs. He expressed his hope for continued support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and local authorities to facilitate smooth and effective project implementation.

Also at the ceremony, Deputy Director Thai Huu Lieu expressed his appreciation to MCNV for its continued interest and support for Quang Tri Province. Currently, in the mountainous communes of Huong Lap and Huong Phung, following the two-tier local government restructuring, residents still face difficult living conditions and high vulnerability. With MCNV’s assistance, he believes the project’s activities will help improve food security and contribute to better living conditions for ethnic minority communities, especially poor women, in the mountainous areas of Quang Tri. Representing the province’s focal agency for aid coordination and the management of foreign NGO activities, Mr. Lieu affirmed that the Department will direct its technical division and relevant units to work closely with MCNV, provide guidance, and create favorable conditions for the organization to complete procedures for submission to the Quang Tri Provincial People’s Committee for approval, ensuring the project can be implemented promptly and in accordance with regulations.

Kim Vui