Germany signs $3.5 million agreement with MRC to help fight floods
MRC No.13/04
Vientiane, 18 August 2004
The Mekong River Commission today formalised an agreement with the Federal Republic of Germany whereby the German Government will contribute US$3.5 million to the MRC’s Flood Mitigation and Management Programme.
The agreement was ratified by Mr Bernhard Striese, Counsellor, German Embassy to the Lao PDR and Dr Olivier Cogels, Chief Executive Officer of the Mekong River Commission at 4pm on Wednesday August 18 at the MRC Secretariat headquarters in Vientiane.
Following the devastating floods of 2000 in the Lower Mekong Basin, the MRC Council requested the formulation of an MRC strategy on flood management and mitigation. Based on this strategy a Flood Management and Mitigation Programme (FMMP) with five components was formulated.
The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany is providing the necessary funds for two of these components – Emergency Preparedness and Land Management.
The German contribution of US$3.5 million (Euros 2.933 million) will be made available in the form of personnel, inputs and, where appropriate, financial contributions. The German government has commissioned the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) to implement its contribution.
This latest contribution brings the total ongoing German contribution to the MRC to US$8.66 million.
Dr Cogels said that the Mekong River Commission was very grateful to the government of Germany for its generous support of the FMMP and was confident this new funding would play an important role in helping the new programme achieve its goals of reducing the havoc wreaked by flooding in the Lower Mekong Basin, and thus protect the lives and property of the millions of people of the basin.
For more information, please contact:
Ms Virginia Addison, Communications Officer,
Tel: 856 21 263 263 Ext 1122.
Mobile: (856) 20 559 9139
Fax: (856-21) 263 264
Email: virginia@mrcmekong.org
Website: www.mrcmekong.org
TopChoose a newsletter: