During her August trip to Vietnam, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced USAID’s support for developing a Green Index to rally the private sector to climate action. On November 23, USAID joined the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverages to sign a Memorandum of Understanding establishing this Green Index. The index will promote environmental regulatory reforms and improve environmentally-friendly investment at the provincial level by assessing and ranking local environmental quality as perceived by businesses, and exploring firms’ environmental behavior, their willingness to apply green technologies/practices, and their readiness to invest in green operations. It will also serve as a useful tool to inform local policy making and development of an environmentally sensitive business ecosystem.
“The historic agreements struck at the recently concluded COP26 to accelerate cooperation on climate action underscore the importance of collective action to preserve and protect our environment. This new partnership brings us one step closer to elevating greater environmental awareness and driving greater sustainability to benefit Vietnam’s citizens and economy,” said USAID Mission Director Ann Marie Yastishock at the signing ceremony.
The USAID-supported Green Index is an effort to incorporate greater environmental sustainability into provincial leadership considerations moving forward. This initiative is being launched just as Vietnam’s shift to deeper environmental awareness is taking root. It furthers the country’s path towards sustainable economic development and bolsters its commitments at the recent Climate Change Conference (COP26).
