2nd Project Steering Committee Meeting held for “Improving Pinus caribaea Morelet for plantation on degraded land in Viet Nam’s Northern mountainous region”

December 13, 2021 – As the project embarks on its third year of implementation in 2022, the 2^nd Project Steering Committee meeting was held virtually on 13^th December 2021 for project on “Improving Pinus caribaea Morelet for plantation on degraded land in Viet Nam’s Northern mountainous region AFoCO/013/2020” to review the progresses of the project. The meeting was discussed the follow-up of the 1^st PSC meeting, annual progress and financial report of 2021, project performance analysis based on the Project Implementation Plan (PIP) Matrix, annual work plan and budget for 2022, and the project’s COVID-19 coping measures.

The meeting was joined by the Project Steering Committee members from Viet Nam and the AFoCO Secretariat. Chaired by Mr. Luu Tien Dat, Senior Inspector of Department of Science, Technology and International Cooperation and National Focal Point, the meeting formally welcomed all participants to the 2^nd PSC meeting and started the meeting with introductions on both sides.  

During the meeting, the Project Manager Dr. Bui Trong Thuy, briefly presented the recap of the 1^st PSC’s record of the discussion. After the brief recap, the Project Coordinator Mr. Ngyen Huu dung proceeded with the follow-up activities, the 2021 annual progress & financial report, and project performance analysis based on the PIP matrix and annual work plan and budget for 2022 covering 12 months from January to December. The meeting also reviewed and considered the coping-up measure under the COVID-19 situation which was reflected in the annual work and budget plan for 2022, it mainly highlighted the following aspects:

• Activities to be adjusted or revised in 2022, based on the total work plan and budget, and
• Project- specific coping-up measures under the COVID-19 pandemic.

The AFoCO Secretariat acknowledged excellent project achievements and on-time progress of the project despite the tremendous challenges posed by the pandemic situation which could not have made conducting the activities any easier than before. The meeting adjourned with hopes that the COVID-19 situation would improve in the future for the Secretariat to visit Viet Nam and Viet Nam side to visit the Seoul and the Secretariat in time for the 15th World Forestry Congress next year in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Submitted by Khiev Sokleap, AFoCO 2021 Fellowship Official from Cambodia, and Cha Jiyea, Team Assistant