Hanoi (VNA) – The environment and natural resources sector has achieved positive results in 2024 creating a solid foundation for sustainable development, as Vietnam enters a new era, said Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy.
The minister said that the year 2024 held special significance, as the Government identified it as a year for acceleration and breakthroughs. It laid the groundwork for 2025 to ensure the completion of socio-economic development goals, and contributed to the successful implementation of the resolution of the 13th National Party Congress.
Closely following the directions of the Government and the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) addressed policy bottlenecks to ensure the effective and sustainable management, exploitation, and use of natural resources. This is closely linked with environmental protection and climate change response, thus making an important contribution to the socio-economic development of the country.
Notably, the institutions, policies, and laws related to natural resources and the environment continued to be supplemented and improved, ensuring full institutionalisation of the Party's views, orientations, and strategies, meeting the management requirements and the country's development realities, especially the 2024 Land Law, the 2024 Geological and Mineral Law, and a system of subordinate legal documents.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said at a conference reviewing the sector's performance in 2024 that the law and legal document making process promoted democratic, objective, and scientific participation.
For instance, the Land Law and the decrees and circulars guiding its implementation have provided solutions to many difficulties. It has also created an innovative and creative space for management agencies and enterprises, and generated new mindsets in management.
In addition, environmental protection and climate change response have received attention from all levels and sectors, generating positive changes. Environmental indicators have become important criteria for evaluating the effectiveness and sustainability of socio-economic development at both national and local levels. Solutions for a green transition, circular economic development, and low carbon initiatives have achieved initial results.
Furthermore, the quality of meteorological and hydrological forecasting, and disaster warning were improved, thereby contributing to minimising damage to life and property.
However, Duy said that there remained shortcomings and limitations. Some policies, and legal documents are no longer suitable for current development, and the quality of law enforcement is uneven among localities.
Resource utilisation in many areas is not efficient, especially land resources while violations relating to mineral activities still occur throughout the country.
The pollution of the environment in river basins, industrial clusters, craft villages, and air pollution in urban areas has not been properly addressed.
Duy said that the year 2025 marks major national celebrations, and streamlining the State apparatus will propel the country into a new era. Thus, the environmental sector will help green projects and contribute to the country’s sustainable development.
Accordingly, the sector will complete the restructuring of its organisational apparatus, and improve the quality of the staff in line with the guidance of the Central Steering Committee and the Government Steering Committee regarding the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW.
The sector will continue to focus on building and perfecting institutions, policies, and laws regarding resources and the environment. The focus will be placed on issuing guiding documents and ensuring the synchronized implementation of laws on land, water resources, geology and minerals. It also plans to study and propose amendments to the Law on Environmental Protection, the Law on Marine and Island Resources and Environment, and the Law on Biodiversity. The sector will also supplement legal framework and policies to facilitate green transformation, digital transformation, circular economy, and low-carbon economy towards the goal of net zero.
Duy also emphasised that in 2025, the sector will continue to strongly reform administrative procedures, promote decentralisation while enhancing inspections, and combat corruption, negative phenomena, and wastefulness.
Another key task is to accelerate digital transformation and develop digital resources. It will focus on building and digitising land information data, and perfecting a centralized national database.
In addition, identifying the environment as one of the three pillars of sustainable development, together with economy and society/culture, Duy emphasised that in the Year of the Snake, the sector will continue to effectively implement the Law on Environmental Protection. It will continue to attract diverse investment resources for developing technical infrastructure for environmental protection, waste treatment, and recycling using modern technology.
Additionally, the sector will implement an action plan to fulfill political commitments supporting the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs). Vietnam will further deploy adaptation models, enhance resilience, and minimise losses caused by climate change. It will also continue modernising the meteorological and hydrological network, improving the quality of forecasting and warning services for disaster prevention and control./.
