The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister (PM) Hoang Trung Hai, aimed to realise the strategic cooperation agreement on climate change adaptation and water management which was signed by Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung and his Dutch counterpart Peter Balkenende in October 2010.

Earlier, at the intergovernmental committee’s first meeting, co-chaired by Deputy PM Hai and Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander in March 2011, the two sides discussed measures to improve combined efforts in water management, climate change adaptation and ecosystems. In particular, they pledged to cooperate in implementing the Mekong Delta Plan, as well as making plans on urban and rural development, flood control, waste water treatment, and financial institution building.

Based on the outcomes of the previous meeting, the committee defined key tasks, including the establishment of boards and groups to realise the Mekong Delta Plan, and the implementation of projects on climate change, water and land management, and rises in sea levels.

Deputy PM Hai asked the intergovernmental committee to speed up the implementation of the signed agreement, especially the Mekong Delta Plan, projects on development scenarios, and the building of institutional frameworks.