Pham Hoang Mai (C), director of the Foreign Economic Relations Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, poses for a photo with the signed minutes of the meeting with director for Asia at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Gisela Hammerschmidt - PHOTO: VNA

HCMC - The German Government has pledged to provide Vietnam with a total of over 113.5 million euros in official development assistance (ODA), including 50 million euros in ODA loans and another 63.559 million euros in non-refundable aid for 14 technical assistance and investment projects in the country this year.

The announcement was made during a recent governmental-level meeting on the Vietnam-Germany development cooperation in 2021 held via teleconference.

The most notable project is the construction of a center for epidemic forecasting and management, which will receive a grant of 15 million euros, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The project was proposed by the Ministry of Health as an emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, which was attended by director of the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Foreign Economic Relations Department Pham Hoang Mai and director for Asia at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Gisela Hammerschmidt, the German side said Vietnam is a global partner of Germany in development cooperation under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) 2030 strategy.

The German Government wishes to enhance cooperation with Vietnam in handling global issues such as climate change, environmental protection and global economic stabilization.

The two sides will give priority for ODA cooperation to three core sectors under the BMZ 2030 strategy, namely skills training and sustainable economic growth, responsibility for the planet-climate and energy and protecting the Earth-environment and natural resources.

In addition, the German Government agreed to foster cooperation with Vietnam in healthcare to help the country deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.