Dear partners, donors, readers, and colleagues,
The year 2024 continued to mark major global upheavals, including severe natural disasters driven by climate change, wars, political and trade conflicts, alongside environmental degradation and resource depletion. These events have impacted every aspect of human life, especially for vulnerable communities—not only slowing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but also creating an urgent need for adaptive and mitigating solutions. Vietnam, particularly its rural areas, has been heavily affected by these global events through severe natural disasters, broken supply chains, volatile agricultural prices and environmental degradation, especially regarding forest resources. Moreover, compliance with international agreements and regulations—such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT), and national commitments to greenhouse gas emission reductions—presents additional challenges for rural populations. In this context, the Centre for Rural Development in Central Vietnam (CRD) has made relentless efforts to build capacity for rural people, particularly marginalized groups, to enhance their resilience while promoting green growth, sustainable resource management, and greenhouse gas reduction.
In 2024, CRD continued supporting vulnerable communities, including ethnic minority groups, women and children to build sustainable livelihoods, sustainably manage forest resources, conserve biodiversity and effectively respond to climate change. Rural residents have gained better awareness and capacity to adapt to climate change, mitigate agricultural production risks, boost their income, and improve their quality of life. Climate-smart agricultural models were deployed, helping increase income while contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Native forestry and medicinal plant cultivation models were developed, creating livelihoods while enriching forests and enhancing biodiversity. Communities actively participated in forest resource management, successfully protecting 18,300 hectares of forest allocated to community management. They utilized technologies such as SMART-Mobile for forest patrols to strengthen forest governance and applied indigenous knowledge to conserve under-canopy medicinal plants. Women were empowered with skills in financial management, production, and market access, enabling their increased participation in economic activities and boosting their decision-making power within households and society. Additionally, best practices in preventing gender-based violence enhanced the effectiveness of local child protection efforts.
We could not have achieved these outcomes without the invaluable partnership and support of our donors, government management agencies, partner organizations, colleagues, beneficiary communities, and especially CRD’s dedicated staff. As we enter 2025, we commit to continuing our efforts with creativity and perseverance in supporting communities toward a sustainably developed rural society—one free of poverty and where people live responsibly with the environment. We sincerely hope to receive your continued support and partnership on the journey ahead.
Sincerely,
Director of CRD
Truong Quang Hoang
Please click the link below for full Annual Report 2024: ANNUAL REPORT 2024
