GNS joins Prime Minister on Trade Mission to Viet Nam
GNS Science is thrilled to be joining the New Zealand Prime Minister’s mission to Viet Nam.
It is a welcome opportunity for GNS to connect with valued partners, grow new relationships, and showcase the strength of New Zealand’s science, innovation, and technology sectors.
Chief Executive Chelydra Percy is representing GNS on the mission
“GNS works around the world to maximise the global impact of our science and to drive international investment in kiwi expertise and innovation,” says Chelydra.
“We work alongside communities, agencies, and governments to build resilience to natural disasters and climate change, and we’ve been supporting international geothermal development for over 60 years in more than 35 countries."
“GNS has long-standing relationships in Viet Nam, and I’m pleased to have this opportunity to connect with our partners. Our collaborations and commercial partnerships continue to unlock significant economic and social benefits for both countries”.
Reducing the risk and impact of natural hazards for vulnerable communities
GNS is committed to sharing our hazard expertise to empower overseas communities to identify, manage, and mitigate the natural hazards threatening lives and livelihoods. Through a range of international projects, we are uplifting readiness, response, and resilience solutions down to a local level – including in Viet Nam.
Viet Nam is ranked the fifth country in the world most vulnerable to climate change. The magnitude and frequency of storm events and their associated hazards is expected to significantly increase over the next 50G years. The Viet Nam government is focused on responding to the country's vulnerability to natural disaster, including their risk from dam failure.
Home to more than 7,000 dams, communities in Viet Nam are growing rapidly in areas vulnerable to downstream hazards. Since 2012, GNS and Damwatch Engineering have worked closely with Thuyloi University to develop a dam and disaster risk management system specifically for Viet Nam, demonstrating opportunities for improved public safety in vulnerable river basins. The team has developed practical tools for dam owners to assess the safety of their dams.
Working on the ground
In the current phase of work, GNS has been on the ground working directly with downstream communities to support capacity building at a local level to manage the risk of dam failure. Nine major dams and more than 400 medium dams will be included in the project over its lifetime.
This project is an example of New Zealand empowering communities overseas with expertise in hazard management while bringing back lessons learned from the challenges faced by vulnerable communities. This work is supported by funding from the MFAT New Zealand Aid Programme and involves a range of in-country partners including the Viet Nam Government.