Initiatives help Vietnam build green economy
The experts made the suggestions
at a conference entitled “Local economic development – Practical
experience” in the southern province of Dong Nai on November 20.
The event was co-organised by the Association of Cities of Vietnam, the
Canadian Municipalities and the United Nations Human Settlement
Programme (UN-Habitat).
Experts said Vietnam
should develop green transport and industry and build its infrastructure
by designing a master plan for hi-tech cities in line with green
industry and growth, while strengthening the comprehensive management of
water resources and boosting green urban agriculture associated with
eco-tourism.
According to UN-Habitat specialists,
Vietnam ’s future green growth strategy should focus on restructuring
and upgrading economic establishments in the direction of effectively
using natural resources, improving the economy’s competitiveness by
technology renovation, and economic tool.
This will contribute to dealing with climate change, reducing poverty and ensuring sustainable development, they said.
The experts also pointed out three key strategic missions in realising
the strategy, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
increasing the use of clean and renewable energy, boosting green
production through clean industrialisation and effective use of natural
resources, and encourage green lifestyle and sustainable consumption.
Especially, the improvement of environment quality,
the acceleration of economic growth and the generation of new jobs
are among factors to push the green growth process, they added.
UN-Habitat Director Nguyen Quang said Quang Ninh, Quang Nam
provinces and Da Nang city have taken first steps in the work by
including green growth in their development strategies.
Many experts held that local government and infrastructure system play
significant roles in deciding the competitiveness of a locality, while
its renovation, human resources, standards and historical heritages are
factors to boost the green growth.
UN- Habitat has
calculated that with its current urbanisation speed, Vietnam will
see about one million people moving from rural to urban areas every
year. Therefore, urbanisation poses both opportunities and challenges
for a city’s socio-economic development. And the only solution for
Vietnam is green growth and a low carbon emission economy, experts
said.-VNA