On March 25-26, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in collaboration with the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), hosted a dedicated Workshop and Forum on Green Bonds for Agribank, attracting participation from experts and investors in the fields of finance and the environment. Within the framework of the workshop titled “Green Bonds and Sustainable Agricultural Finance Towards National Goals," there was a special program associated with the One Million Hectares Rice Project organized exclusively for Agribank.

Attending the Workshop and Forum from the FAO were Ms. Mikell Kathleen Omealy, Climate Strategy and Finance Expert and Mr. Beau Damen, Natural Resources Expert from the FAO Office for Asia and the Pacific. The CBI was represented by Ms. Reyes Tirado, Senior Manager for Agriculture and Food, and Ms. Meggie Eloy, Senior Technical Expert, along with various experts and representatives from regional organizations.

From Agribank, Mr. Doan Ngoc Luu, Deputy General Director; Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Director of the Agribank Training School; and representatives and from a number of departments at the headquarters were present.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Doan Ngoc Luu emphasized, “In the context of climate change posing increasingly severe and escalating challenges to Vietnamese agriculture, mobilizing green financial resources is of paramount importance. Among these resources, green bonds are regarded as a groundbreaking financial instrument, facilitating access to long-term capital from both domestic and international markets.”

To implement the government's policies and strategies regarding green banking and align with international standards for sustainable development, Agribank is actively undertaking numerous practical action programs to effectively execute ESG initiatives consistently from management levels down to every employee. This creates significant momentum towards protecting the environment and combating climate change while striving for sustainable development.

“Participation in the workshop on green bonds and sustainable agricultural finance presents a valuable opportunity for Agribank. It not only allows us to access advanced international experiences in developing green finance and green bonds but also provides a chance to learn and update essential information from leading experts on how to effectively implement tools like green bonds, which are crucial for raising capital for the One Million Hectares Rice Project specifically and sustainable agricultural initiatives in general. The workshop serves as an opportunity for Agribank’s staff to gain additional knowledge and practical skills, thereby enhancing their capacity to fulfill the commitments set forth,” Mr. Doan Ngoc Luu shared.

Additionally, within the theme of green bonds, on March 26, the FAO and CBI conducted a regional forum entitled “Green Bonds Mobilizing Finance for Sustainable Agriculture and Energy Security in the Asia-Pacific Region.” The forum featured representatives from governments, central banks, and state-owned agricultural banks in the Asia-Pacific region that have issued green bonds and bonds specifically for the agriculture sector.

During the forum, leaders from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives of Thailand (BAAC), the Islamic Finance Department of the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia, the Financial Policy Department of the Ministry of Finance of Mongolia, and the Securities Commission of Malaysia shared their insights on experiences, lessons learned, and opportunities for utilizing green bonds.

Kylie Nguyen