UCR-CoP Newsletter: Edition 2 (October 2014)

UCR-CoP newsletter, October 2014
View this email in your browser

Visit the urbanclimatevn.com blog
Visit the UCR-CoP calendar

Welcome to our October newsletter

Welcome to our second edition of the UCR-CoP newsletter. In this edition we hear from Mr. Vinh from the Can Tho Climate Change Coordination Office and learn about how water issues are changing an urbanized continent, including our very own Vietnam.

Our members work together to produce each edition of the newsletter. This edition has been brought to you by the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET) Vietnam, the National Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategic Studies, CARE International in Vietnam and the Can Tho Climate Change Coordination Office. If you would like to contribute to the next edition of the newsletter, please let us know.

Upcoming activities

The UCR-CoP shared calendar is the information center for our community of practice. Visit the calendar to learn about fellow members' activities and add your own activities, projects and events.

Wednesday, 19 November
UCR-CoP event - practical lessons for urban development and planning from central Vietnam
Association of Cities of Vietnam (ACVN) office, 6th floor, Knowledge Palace Buildings Hanoi, Lot D25, Cau Giay New Urban Area, Tran Thai Tong Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi learn more.

Recent activity

Climate resilience policy dialogue: In August, government officials from five central provinces in Vietnam met to discuss the challenges and solutions involved in urban climate change resilience planning. Read more at urbanclimatevn.com.

Meet Mr. Vinh

In each newsletter, we get to know a little bit more about one of our fellow members. Read on to meet Mr. Vinh, Director of the Can Tho Climate Change Coordination Office.

News & discussion

Read on to check out some interesting articles and discussions that are currently circulating online on the topic of urban climate resilience. In this edition, we feature recent posts on urban water issues and the UN-Habitat City Resilience Profiling Programme.

Member profile

Mr. Ky Quang Vinh, Director, Can Tho Climate Change Coordination Office (CCCO)

When did you join the Can Tho CCCO and what does your role involve?
I proposed the establishment of the Can Tho CCCO, which was established in 2010. The CCCO is the advisory body for the city of Can Tho People's Committee, for the implementation of activities related to climate change response. It can be said that the role of the CCCO is like a bridge connecting requests, bringing together the views of different stakeholders to create resilience activities. This includes the view of the community, the decisions of the city government and the intervention project demands of municipal agencies. My role is to coordinate these activities.

How did you become interested in the topic of urban climate resilience?
Can Tho City is the largest city in the Mekong River Delta and located on the southwestern bank of the Hau River. Can Tho is the most vulnerable delta in the world to climate change and is also facing environmental challenges due to the unsustainable development of upstream countries and communities. The city is currently facing land subsidence issues, risks from unusual water regimes (high water levels, salinity intrusion and riverbank erosion) and tornadoes, which are becoming worse each year. These issues concern me and I wish to find a way to help communities, especially the poor who face an uncertain future.

What are some of the main activities or projects your organization is currently working on that relate to urban climate resilience?
Since 2011 our office has focused on the following main resilience activities:

Strengthening dengue fever surveillance and response systems.
Developing and implementing real-time salinity monitoring, dissemination and response mechanisms.
Mobilizing the local community and government agencies and their staff to build strategies to cope with the long-term climate change issues likely to impact the city of Can Tho.

If you are interested in reading more about the Can Tho CCCO's urban climate resilience activities click here.

Tell us a fact that we might be surprised to learn about you?
I love to travel, to explore nature and other communities in the world. I like to eat fermented fish and the rustic dishes of the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam.

Urban climate resilience news from around the world

Asia H20: How water issues are changing an urbanized continent

Next City has released a series of short videos looking at how water issues are changing an urbanized continent. The series showcases how four Asian countries are tackling a range of different water issues, including our very own Vietnam. Watch the videos here...

UN-Habitat Climate Resilience Programme

The UN-Habitat City Resilience Profiling Programme focuses on providing national and local governments with tools for measuring and increasing resilience for multi-hazard impacts, including those associated with climate change. The programme is designed to assist in increasing the resilience of cities to the impacts of natural and human-made crises. Check out the work of this great programme, along with other initiatives being undertaken by UN-Habitat as part of it's building a better urban future campaign. Read more...