Vietnam is willing to collaborate with other countries and international organisations to protect the earth from being polluted caused by industries, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.
Mr Nhan delivered this message at the opening ceremony of the 17th Southeast Asia Katoomba Conference on Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) and Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in Hanoi on June 23.
The Vietnamese Government has paid particular attention to developing and issuing policies on environmental protection, forestation combined with poverty reduction, and mobilising all resources for forest development, he said.
Vietnam has gained positive results after two years of implementing the pilot policy on PES in several provinces. The policy has not only helped local people, especially those from ethnic minority groups, realise the importance of forest protection, increase income and improve people’s living conditions, but also contributed to the reduction of pervasive shifting cultivation and illegal logging.
The policy has received support from local people and many ethnic minority households have even asked for more forest areas for protection, the deputy PM stressed.
Mr Nhan told the participants, “The Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to collaborate with other relevant ministries to develop a new decree of payments for forest ecosystem services to implement the scheme nationwide.” The draft decreed has been completed and ready to be submitted to the government for approval in the early third quarter of 2010.
He took this occasion to call on international organisations to continue supporting Vietnam’s to implementation of the policy of PES after it is approved, along with other policies related to PES and REDD in the future.
The two-day conference is being co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Forest Trends and Winrock International organisations.
Source: VOV