At the workshop, many experts, managers, and National Assembly delegates affirmed that socio-economic development associated with environmental protection and biodiversity conservation is a sustainable process, requiring timely identification methods, solutions, and directions for control, especially under the pressure of growth and the impact of the country's industrialization and modernization process.
Harmonizing economic growth and environmental protection
Deputy Editor-in-Chief of People's Representative Newspaper Le Thanh Kim speaks. Photo: Tran Hiep
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the People's Representative Newspaper Le Thanh Kim stated that the workshop's theme is of concern and goal to many countries in the world and Vietnam is no exception to that common trajectory.
The Party's guidelines and orientations have been institutionalized through policy and legal corridors and concretized through drastic and synchronous actions over the past time. Awareness of the country's role has become increasingly deeper. However, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Le Thanh Kim confirmed that environmental protection and biodiversity conservation in our country still face many risks and challenges. The rate of pollution, environmental degradation, and loss of natural resources and biodiversity, although under control, is still complicated, and some places and regions are still at an alarming level. "If there are no solutions to control and handle this risk promptly, it will have a major impact on the goal of sustainable development."
Conference scene. Photo: Tran Hiep
At the workshop, delegates agreed that sustainable economic and social development associated with environmental protection and biodiversity conservation is a very necessary and long-term requirement. This is also a common trend that we must implement to move towards sustainable development, concretizing the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Vice Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Ta Dinh Thi speaks. Photo: Tran Hiep
According to Vice Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Ta Dinh Thi, the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW and the system of guiding documents of the Government, localities, ministries and branches with many progressive ideological viewpoints, innovative content... Regarding the strategic framework, the basic policies are complete, the problem is the organization of implementation and deployment in practice.
Standing member of the Economic Committee Phan Duc Hieu speaks. Photo: Tran Hiep
Agreeing with the above opinion, Standing Member of the Economic Committee Phan Duc Hieu emphasized that synchronous and balanced development between socio-economic development and environmental protection requires the participation of all parties. This role is very important and must be taken first. For example, from the perspective of enterprises, environmental issues have a direct impact on reducing national competitiveness and the competitiveness of enterprises. Therefore, what needs to be done is to be very quick, drastic, urgent, and quickly complete all institutional tasks.
Dr. Vu Dinh Anh, economic expert, speaks. Photo: Tran Hiep
Mr. Nguyen Hong Quang, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, speaking. Photo: Tran Hiep
Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha, Director of the Center for Nature Conservation and Development, speaks. Photo: Tran Hiep
Environmental protection costs increase business investment costs? In fact, during 35 years of economic development, we have not accounted for this natural capital in the cost of goods and services. We only calculate the cost of exploitation, not taking into account the value of that resource that was formed over billions of years, millions of years. We are benefiting from nature. According to the estimate of the Nature Conservation Organization, this value is equivalent to about 55% of global GGD, about 58 trillion is given by nature. Dr. Vu Dinh Anh, economic expert |
Faced with that reality, to harmonize the relationship between economic growth and environmental protection, Mr. Nguyen Hong Quang, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said that all projects must have control tools before completion, ensuring screening to meet environmental protection standards. Along with that, it is necessary to strengthen supervision, inspection, and complete sanctions strong enough to deter to ensure compliance with environmental laws.
Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha, Director of the Center for Nature Conservation and Development, also suggested that localities need to have specific resolutions and plans for implementation and promulgation of procedures - an important issue to ensure that environmental issues are placed in the overall picture.
Clearly demonstrate the role of elected bodies in monitoring activities
“If we want to develop the economy in conjunction with protecting the environment and biodiversity, the supervisory role of the National Assembly and People's Councils is extremely important,” affirmed Prof. Dr. Dang Huy Huynh, ASEAN Biodiversity Hero, Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment. He affirmed that the National Assembly always performs well its supervisory role in projects related to environmental issues. From there, it is the basis for the Government and relevant agencies to guide implementation. Many projects that do not ensure environmental protection and biodiversity have been stopped.
Prof. Dr. Dang Huy Huynh speaks. Photo: Tran Hiep
Also emphasizing the supervisory role of the National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Ta Dinh Thi said that at the Conference on implementing the National Assembly's Supervisory Program in 2024 held this morning (November 17), National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue requested to continue to innovate and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of supervision by the National Assembly, delegations of National Assembly deputies, National Assembly deputies, committees of the National Assembly, People's Councils at all levels... Pay special attention and focus on supervising urgent issues that voters are interested in. "How to publicize the results of supervision to create a real change in society as well as economic sectors participating in environmental protection".
Vice Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Ta Dinh Thi speaks. Photo: Tran Hiep
Mr. Thi said that in fact, through the collection of recommendations from National Assembly and People's Council deputies, there were 34 recommendations and difficulties and shortcomings in the implementation of Decree 08 of the Government guiding the implementation of the Law on Environmental Protection; or a number of recommendations on difficulties and shortcomings in the implementation of Circular 02 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment detailing a number of articles of the Law on Environmental Protection newly issued in 2022. Mr. Thi also stated the number: the whole country still has 27/293 industrial parks in operation without centralized wastewater treatment systems that meet environmental technical standards, and especially in some large cities, as of September 2023. At the question and answer session, the recent 6th Session, the issue of environmental pollution in the basins of Cau River, Nhue River, Day River, Saigon River, Dong Nai River... was also requested by delegates to be clarified.
Delegates attending the Workshop. Photo: Tran Hiep
Journalists working at the conference. Photo: Tran Hiep
Environmental protection and biodiversity conservation require the role and participation of the whole society in a more responsible manner. Therefore, Prof. Dr. Dang Huy Huynh suggested that there should be specific mechanisms and policies to promote the role of the community, mobilize people to participate deeply and widely in socio-economic development tasks associated with environmental protection. Promote the implementation of people's supervision with the work of ensuring tasks and regulations on environmental protection... Prof. Dr. Dang Huy Huynh said that when these goals are achieved, it will create a basis for effectively implementing the socio-economic development goals set by the National Assembly.
"The adoption of the Global Biodiversity Post-2020 Framework (GBF) has had certain impacts on resource mobilization for biodiversity conservation in Vietnam. This has created opportunities as Vietnam is a developing country and can access support from developed countries; however, the challenge is that the remaining funding must be mobilized from traditional financial sources. Currently, funding for biodiversity is mainly in 1% of spending on environmental protection and is very limited in reality. Surveys in national parks are mainly only enough to maintain administrative operations and patrols, while biodiversity conservation, scientific research, and promoting the value of national parks to achieve sustainable development goals have not had the resources to do so. In addition, countries need to mobilize new financial resources, such as biodiversity credits, green credits, green bonds, etc. Regarding resources for biodiversity, although the documents are very important, the actual investment is very little and has not received much attention. According to UNDP's assessment, we only meet a very low demand for biodiversity, only about 10%. Therefore, the goal is ambitious but the resources are not available, so it is difficult to achieve." - Ms. Hoang Thi Thanh Nhan, Deputy Director of the Department of Conservation and Biodiversity, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. |
According to daibieunhandan.vn
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