Vietnam looks towards green economy

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The statement was made by Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Pham Khoi Nguyen at a national meeting in response to the 2011 World Environment Day (WED) and the 2011 International Year on Forests in the northern province of Bac Kan on June 5.

“The world is facing worrying issues pertaining to climate change, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, bio-diversity degradation and environmental pollution, and Vietnam is not an exception,” Nguyen said.

He attributed the fact to alarming deforestation and forest degradation, which is estimated to cost the globe $2.5-4.5 trillion each year, much hunger than losses caused by the financial crisis several years ago.

According to the minister, Vietnam’s environmental protection has recorded encouraging achievements in recent years with the improvement of mechanisms, policies and laws on environmental protection along with the adoption of the Environmental Protection and Bio-diversity Laws.

State environment management agencies from the central to local levels have been strengthened while environmental protection measures have been put in socio-economic development projects with due attention, he said.

However, environmental protection in Vietnam will face a lot of difficulties and challenges in the coming time when the country speeds up industrialisation and modernisation, he added.

At the meeting, Patrick Gilabert, a United Nations representative in Vietnam, stated that the UN has called upon its member countries to fight the smuggling of forest products.

The UN has closely coordinated with the Vietnamese government in boosting the sustainable use of natural resources and improving response capacity in coping with climate change impacts, he noted.

On the occasion, Nguyen handed over to the Bac Kan authorities the UNESCO’s decision recognising Ba Be Lake as the third wetland of international importance (Ramsar site) in Vietnam.

Over the past 40 years, the World Environment Day (June 5) has become one of the important annual international environmental events, which draw the participation of more than 100 countries throughout the world, including Vietnam .

Themed “Forests: Nature at Your Service”, this year’s WED pays special attention to the position and role of forests in economic development and environmental protection as well as giving warnings of uncontrolled deforestation and risks of forest degradation in the globe mainly caused by human activities.