Balancing heritage protection and ensuring people's livelihoods

Giving opinions to complete the draft Law on Cultural Heritage (amended), National Assembly deputies said that heritage protection does not stop at determining protected areas, but also needs to consider ways to exploit and use heritage sustainably, to both preserve cultural values, develop the economy, society and ensure people's lives.

National Assembly deputies attend the meeting on the afternoon of October 23. (Photo: THUY NGUYEN)

Afternoon of October 23, continue the program At the 8th session, the National Assembly held a plenary discussion in the hall on a number of contents with different opinions of the draft Law on Cultural Heritage (amended).

Adjustment focuses on key activities

Presenting the Report on explanation, acceptance and revision of the draft Law on Cultural Heritage (amended), Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh said that regarding the scope of regulation, the National Assembly Standing Committee has accepted comments and directed to remove the phrase "documentary heritage" in the draft law, but still retains the provisions on mechanisms and measures to protect and promote heritage values.

The draft law has revised heritage protection policies to focus on key activities that are suitable for practice, prioritizing budgets for specific activities such as protecting the languages and scripts of ethnic groups, and training human resources for heritage management (Articles 7, 19, 84, 85).

At the same time, the draft adds provisions on prohibited acts to ensure effective implementation in heritage protection, especially provisions on relic protection areas (Article 27), and conditions for socializing resources to preserve heritage (Articles 82 and 90).

Member of the National Assembly Standing Committee, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh presented a report explaining, accepting and revising the draft Law on Cultural Heritage (amended). (Photo: THUY NGUYEN)

Regarding the Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund, Mr. Nguyen Dac Vinh said that the draft has been adjusted so that the fund only supports key activities. The regulation also empowers the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to establish this fund locally based on the actual situation.

Regarding cultural heritage inspection, the National Assembly Standing Committee has directed the review of regulations to comply with the law on inspection. The Government has proposed to include regulations on heritage inspection in the draft law to ensure consistency.

Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh said that the draft Law on Cultural Heritage (amended) after being accepted and revised has 9 chapters and 100 articles, 2 articles less than the draft submitted at the 7th Session, and is expected to be considered and approved by the National Assembly at this 8th Session.

Ensuring community participation in heritage conservation

Delegate Thach Phuoc Binh, National Assembly Delegation of Tra Vinh province. (Photo: THUY NGUYEN)

Contributing opinions to the draft Law on Cultural Heritage (amended), delegate Thach Phuoc Binh, National Assembly Delegation of Tra Vinh province emphasized the importance of protecting intangible cultural heritage.

He said that there should be clearer and more specific regulations in identifying intangible heritages at risk of being lost. This includes identifying risk factors such as the decline in the number of artisans or the encroachment of related cultural spaces to create a solid basis for the application of urgent safeguarding measures.

In addition, delegate Binh also emphasized the role of the community in protecting cultural heritage. According to him, the community is not only the subject of heritage but also an important force in preserving and promoting its values.

Therefore, specific support measures are needed, especially for communities in ethnic minority, mountainous and island areas where cultural heritage is at risk of being lost. Communities need financial support, facilities as well as participation in training programs to improve their capacity for heritage conservation.

Delegate Mai Van Hai, National Assembly Delegation of Thanh Hoa Province. (Photo: THUY NGUYEN)

Contributing opinions at the discussion session, delegate Mai Van Hai, National Assembly Delegation of Thanh Hoa province, suggested carefully considering the establishment of a Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund in the locality.

According to him, the establishment of a fund in each locality is necessary, but not every province has the capacity to establish and manage this fund. Instead, the delegate proposed establishing a Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund at the central level, managed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Regarding investment in the construction of individual housing projects near relic protection areas, delegate Hai said that it is necessary to have specific regulations on the scope and criteria for identifying factors that negatively impact relics.

Determining projects that may affect heritage must be done carefully to both protect the original elements of the heritage and not cause difficulties for people's lives and local economic development.

Delegate Trinh Lam Sinh, National Assembly Delegation of An Giang Province. (Photo: THUY NGUYEN)

Delegate Trinh Lam Sinh, National Assembly Delegation of An Giang Province, contributed opinions related to the regulations guiding the implementation of the Law on Cultural Heritage. He acknowledged the inheritance from the current law but also pointed out the points that need to be improved, especially the non-specific regulations on the conditions for professional activities in the field of cultural heritage, from the establishment of museums to the costs of heritage inventory and restoration activities.

Delegate Sinh said that many localities are facing difficulties in preserving and promoting heritage, partly due to limited funding, partly due to the lack of mechanisms to encourage the participation of the private sector and businesses in investing in heritage conservation.

To overcome these limitations, he proposed that there should be specific regulations and detailed instructions immediately after the law is passed, to support localities in quickly putting the law into practice.

Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh explained and clarified a number of issues raised by National Assembly deputies. (Photo: THUY NGUYEN)

At the end of the meeting, Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh, on behalf of the examining body, explained and clarified a number of issues raised by National Assembly deputies. He acknowledged the comments and affirmed that the drafting body would take them to the maximum extent possible to complete the draft Law on Cultural Heritage (amended).

Regarding the issue of heritage protection areas, Mr. Vinh emphasized that there needs to be a balance between tasks. heritage protection and ensure people's lives. Heritage protection cannot stop at determining protected areas but must also consider how to exploit and use heritage sustainably, not only to preserve cultural values but also to develop the economy and society.

The Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Education also hopes to receive consensus on the view that heritage must be strictly protected, and it cannot be said that heritage and protected areas have been identified but other things are prioritized over heritage protection...

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