Sustainable Development Strategy for Vietnam
Since the Rio Earth Summit on Environment and Development in 1992, Vietnam has shown growing interest on issues relating to sustainable development. In the implementation of the 10-year Strategy on Socio-Economic Stabilization and Development, the country's legal system and institutions for environmental protection, and its macro policies on socio-economic development have been improved and perfected to meet these three important demands in line with the Rio Summit's goal of ensuring sustainable development. Vietnam is signatory to several international commitments on environmental protection and development, including the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), Convention on Biological Diversity, Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), International Declaration on Cleaner Production, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In order to put into action its international commitments at the local level, Vietnam has created several key institutions and organizations in the past two decades to oversee the implementation of sustainable development in the country. This started with the establishment of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE) in 1992, followed by the creation of the National Environment Agency (NEA). Subsequently, local government branches of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment (DOSTE) were established in all 61 provinces. In 2002, the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment 21 was established. This was soon followed by the setting up of the Vietnam Agenda 21 (VA21) and the Sustainable Development Office in 2004 by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) to implement Vietnam Agenda 21. Finally, in 2005, the government of Vietnam established the National Council of Sustainable Development to organize, instruct and steer the implementation of the Strategic Orientation for Sustainable Development in Vietnam throughout the whole country, with a strong focus on recognizing and disseminating information on best practice through case studies. This organizational structure is laid out clearly in the Operational and Organizational charter of National Council on Sustainable Development of Vietnam.
Meeting report:
Documents
