Organisers are the European Chamber of the Commerce in partnership with the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Entitled "Green Biz 2009 – European Green Business Solutions for Viet Nam", the event was expected to bring numerous major European players in the sector as well as smaller specialialised companies, attracting key decisionmakers from Government and promoting development and transfer of clean technology, according to the Viet Nam chamber president Vu Tien Loc.

"GreenBiz is an event that has all the potential to be mutually beneficial as Viet Nam is in great need for green business solutions in order to face the environmental challenges ahead and European business is on the forefront of delivering the much-needed technological innovations," said Loc.

European chamber chairman Alain Cany said GreenBiz couldn’t come at a better time.

"The global economy is slowing, yet Viet Nam remains one of the fastest growing countries in Asia with a huge demand for infrastructure investment to sustain further growth and an increasingly pressing need for environmentally sustainable solutions," Cany said.

"GreenBiz serves as an ideal local business initiative to support the political efforts discussed in the Asia-Europe foreign ministers meeting and the specialised workshop in Viet Nam to combat climate change with the common efforts and combined strength of Asia and Europe."

Head of the European Commission delegation in Viet Nam, Sean Doyle, said that Green Biz would be an opportunity for Viet Nam to gain access to European partners and technologies in Europe that had the potential to enable Viet Nam to leapfrog neighbouring countries in facing the challenges of climate change.

The conference would focus on the energy, water, transportation and construction sectors, since infrastructure development continued to lag behind the needs of a burgeoning economy and sustainable solutions were a prerequisite for long-term growth, the European chamber said. The conference would also examine issues of corporate social responsibility and effective ways of leveraging available financing for eco-friendly projects.

Moderated conference roundtables would bring together Vietnamese Government representatives, European and Vietnamese experts from industry, international organisations, funding sources and representatives from academia.

An exhibition and opportunities for meetings on the sidelines of the event would create networking opportunities for business people.

Source: VNS