HCMC - Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Elsbeth Akkerman announced on November 4 that the Dutch Government would provide an aid package worth two million euros for the flood-hit people of Central Vietnam.

According to the ambassador, the fund will be sent to the Dutch Relief Alliance that includes 15 non-governmental organizations. The alliance will then disburse the relief money to the affected victims through its local offices and partners. The first part of the relief money will help address the urgent needs of the flood-hit people, with a focus on the supply of clean water, hygiene, food, necessities and cash, while the second one will help them start sustainable and flexible livelihoods. The Dutch ambassador expressed her condolences to the Vietnamese Government and people over the loss of human lives and properties triggered by the natural disasters. Both Vietnam and the Netherlands are vulnerable to extreme weather events. Climate change worsens this situation, she continued. The Netherlands and its people will stand by Vietnam during such hardships and continue to cooperate with the country on climate change response, water management and natural disaster risk mitigation to settle these vulnerabilities structurally. At present, the Dutch Government will focus on immediate humanitarian aid activities, she said. The governments of Vietnam and the Netherlands have established a long-term strategic partnership in the fields of climate adaptation and water management. Dutch experts have joined hands with the Vietnam side to cope with this Southeast Asian nation’s many challenges related to water management. The aim of the cooperation between the two countries is to enhance resilience along the coast and to obtain sustainable and inclusive development in the Mekong Delta, she said.