Speaking to a conference in Hanoi on December 26 reviewing the cooperation between the VFF and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) in the field during 2012-2016, VFF leader Nguyen Thien Nhan underscored the significance of the people’s role in supervising and uncovering environmental violations.
Though the legal framework on environmental protection and a number of green life and production models have been launched, it is still crucial to monitor waste-discharging businesses and units and build community-based environmental management models, he said, adding that the campaign “All people stay united to build new rural areas and civilised urban areas” is the optimal solution.
He suggested assigning specific supervision tasks to mass organisations, for example, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour could monitor enterprises’ waste discharge, the Vietnam Farmers’ Association could supervise the use of materials and chemicals in agricultural production, and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union could be tasked with overseeing household waste treatment.
The VFF Central Committee could take charge of supervising waste discharge in industrial parks and major construction projects, he proposed.
The leader urged the MoNRE to fund the building of self-managed environmental protection models in residential areas.
Under their coordination programme for 2012-2016, the VFF and MoNRE have launched emulation movements and campaigns to promote green growth and the proper use of natural resources in tandem with climate change response.
From 2013-2015, the VFF’s standing board paid field trips to inspect illegal sand and pebble exploitation that led to riverside landslides as well as pollution in craft villages and mining activities, among others.
The majority of public petitions and complaints made in relation to pollution were recorded and transferred by VFF chapters and have been addressed by relevant agencies.
At the event, the VFF and MoNRE signed a cooperation agreement for 2016-2020, under which, they will work together to raise public awareness of laws and policies on environmental protection and climate change response, continue spreading effective models in residential areas, oversee the implementation of relevant policies and offer personnel training in the field.
