Denmark launched new programme to support green growth and clean tech

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The programme will be focused on creating economic growth and employment in Danida partner countries, including Vietnam, according to the Denmark’s embassy to Vietnam statement.

The Business Partnerships is part of the implementation of Danida’s new policy on “Growth and Employment”, which emphasises a streamlining of Danish development aid, and an increased focus on private sector support as a way to achieve development goals.

The DBP supports the establishment of commercial partnerships between Danish and Vietnamese companies in order to improve business competencies in Vietnam.

The objective of the programme is to improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese companies and thereby generate economic growth and reduce poverty. This is done through long-term, committed partnerships between Vietnamese and Danish companies realising a common commercial business idea.

In Vietnam, the focus of the new programme will be on Green Growth and Clean Tech, where new commitments will be considered for 2012 and 2013.

John Nielsen, the Danish ambassador to Vietnam, expressed that he was confident that the DBP together with other Danida’s business support instruments would continue to help poverty reduction.

“Denmark is one of the leading countries within solutions for climate change, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, which are areas that Vietnam has expressed a great interest in increasing cooperation within,” Nielsen said.

Vietnam, he added, needed to work towards focusing more on sustainability and green growth as part of its development model.

“This is crucial as renewable energy and in general a green growth focus has the potential to deliver millions of new jobs, introduce transfer high value-adding technology to Vietnam, and diversify economic development,” he added.

Since 1997 the DBP has granted DKK372 million ($67million) and has assisted in the establishment of approximately 255 small start-up projects and almost 150 long-term partnerships in Vietnam.

Effective from August 8, 2011, the DBP replaced the B2B/IPD programmes as part of the new strategy for Danida’s business instruments and the out-phasing of development cooperation to Vietnam.