RESOLUTION

ACTIVE IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, IMPROVEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

7^TH CONGRESS

11^TH CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

I- STATUS AND CAUSE

In recent times, the response to climate change, natural disaster prevention, natural resource management and environmental protection are paid with special attention, having changes and gaining some important preliminary results. However, the response to climate change is still passive and confusing. Natural disasters are increasingly unusual, causing much damage to people and assets; natural resources are not managed, exploited and used effectively and sustainably, a number of natural resources are overexploited leading to degradation and depletion; environmental pollution continues to increase and becoming serious in some places, the environmental recovery due to the war is still slow; decline in biodiversity, the risk of ecological imbalance is happening on a large scale, negatively affecting social and economic development, people's health and lives.

The limitations and weaknesses mentioned above have objective reasons, but mostly subjective reasons. Awareness and visibility of the executive committees, authority, businesses and communities in this work are incomplete, inconsistent, and in favor of the immediate economic benefits, not attaching much importance to sustainable development. A number of the Party's policies have not been grasped thoroughly and institutionalized fully and promptly. The legal system is inconsistent; a number of mechanisms and policies are not close to reality and lack feasibility. The quality of forecast and planning is limited and has not keep up with the development requirements, generality, inter-sector and inter-region, unclear focus and priority and resources for implementation. Organization of the state management structure and assignment, decentralization and coordination between ministries, sectors and localities lack the tightness; implementation is not really active, assertive; effectiveness and efficiency of inspection, examination, monitoring and handling of violation are not high. The socialization policies have not mobilized the participation of organizations, associations, businesses, communities and people.

II- VIEWPOINTS AND OBJECTIVES

1- Viewpoint

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- Actively responding to climate change, strengthening resource management and environmental protection must be based on integrated and unified, inter-sectoral and inter-regional management approach. Meeting both immediate requirements and long-term benefit assurance, particularly long-term benefits are fundamental. Ensuring both comprehensiveness and focus and priority; having appropriate steps in each stage, relying on domestic resources while effectively promoting the supporting resource and international experience.

- Climate change is a global problem, a serious challenge to all of humanity in the 21st century. Adaptation to climate change must be placed in the global relationship, not just a challenge but also an opportunity to promote the growth pattern transformation towards sustainable development. Simultaneously conducting adaptation and mitigation, particularly the adaptation to climate change, actively preventing and avoiding natural disaster are the focus.

- Natural resources are national assets, the resources and natural capital particularly important for development of the country. Natural resources must be assessed adequately with their values, valuation, accounting in the economy, closely managed and protected; effectively, economically and sustainably exploited and used associated with the target of social and economic development, natural resources security assurance. Focusing on the development and use of renewable energy, new and recycling materials,

- The environment is a global problem. Protecting the environment is both an objective and basic content of sustainable development. Strengthening environmental protection must follows the motto of behavior in harmony with nature, by natural law, prevention as a key; combining control and remedy of pollution and environmental improvement, natural conservation and biodiversity; regarding the people's health as primary target; firmly rejecting projects causing environmental pollution and affecting community health. Investment for environmental protection is an investment for sustainable development.

2- Objectives

a) General objectives

- By 2020, basically, proactively adapting to climate change, preventing natural disasters, reducing greenhouse gas emission, having basic change in the exploitation and use of natural resources in the sustainable, effective and rational direction, curbing the rising levels of environmental pollution, reducing biodiversity in order to ensure the quality of the living environment and maintaining ecological balance towards a green and environmental friendly economy.

- By 2050, actively responding to climate change; effectively, economically, rationally and sustainably exploiting and using natural resources; ensuring quality of living environment and ecological balance, striving to obtain environmental targets equivalent to the current level of the industrialized countries in the region.

b) Specific objectives by 2020.

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Improving capacity of natural disaster forecast and warning and climate change monitoring of the professional agencies. Forming the awareness of active prevention of natural disaster and adaptation to climate change for each member of the society. Gradually reducing loss of life and property caused by natural disasters.

Proactively preventing and limiting the impact of surge, inundation and flooding, saline intrusion due to sea level rise on coastal areas, especially in the Mekong Delta, Red River Delta, Central Coast, firstly is area of Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Ca Mau and other coastal cities.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions per unit of GDP from 8-10% compared with 2010.

- Natural resource management:

Assessing the potential and value of the critical natural resources on land. Achieving significant steps in the basic survey of marine resources.

Planning, managing, exploiting, using national resources economically, effectively and sustainably. Preventing resource depletion trends of freshwater and forest resources, improving the efficiency of water use per unit of GDP. Ensuring to balance the land banking for social economic development; maintaining and flexibly using 3.8 million hectares of land for only rice growing in order to ensure food security and improve the efficiency of land use. Effectively and sustainably exploiting ecology, landscape and biological resources. Minimizing the raw mineral exports.

Restructuring energy use by increasing the proportion of renewable energy, new energy up to over 5% of total primary commercial energy, reducing energy consumption per unit of GDP.

- Environmental protection:

No existence allowed and thoroughly handling establishments which cause serious environmental pollution, 70% of the water discharged into the environment of the river basin is treated; destroying and treating over 85% of hazardous waste, 100 % of medical waste, re-using or recycling over 65% of domestic waste.

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Managing rational exploitation and putting early end to exploit natural forests, increasing the area of ​​nature reserve to over 3 million hectares and forest cover is increased to over 45%.

III- KEY TASKS

1- General tasks

- Promoting the conversion of growth model associated with the restructuring of economy towards green growth and sustainable development. Issuing the assessing indicators of sustainable development results and green growth to put them in the national criteria; piloting the development of green economy model, green industry, green city and green countryside.

- Making the functional zoning based on ecological characteristics, potential resources and adaption to climate change as a basis for development planning, marine spatial planning and development space on land; integrating the objectives in response to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection in the development planning of sectors, fields and social-economic economic development planning - social, ensuring national defense and security of localities.

- Establishing and applying the overall forecasting model of impact of climate change on social economic development and natural resources and environment development. Piloting the use of integrated management method, unified natural resources and environment and adaption to climate change for river basins, coastal areas, then expanded to the whole country.

- Building a database system which is integrated and unified on natural resources, environment and climate change according to international standards. There are appropriate mechanisms in exploitation, information sharing and effective use of the database.

2- Specific tasks

a) Adaptation to climate change

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Building and developing capacity of study and monitoring of climate change, forecasting and warning natural disasters to reach the level equivalent to group of leading countries in Southeast Asia. Regularly updating and perfecting scenarios of climate change and sea level rise for the period to 2030 with a vision to 2050.

Restructuring plant varieties and domestic, adjusting farming seasons, agricultural production techniques to adapt to climate change. Enhancing knowledge and raising adaptive capacity, ensuring livelihood for people of the areas prone to severely affected of climate change and areas frequently affected by natural disasters.

Studying and applying new technologies to adapt to climate change in urban construction, developing and using energy, transportation, building materials, water drainage…

Proactively preparing plans, conditions for prevention and mitigation of natural disasters in line with each sector, field, region and area, especially coastal areas, high mountainous areas and areas vulnerable to natural disasters. Having plans for proactively handling the worst situations affecting the production and people’s life and ensuring national defense and security. Raising capacity of search, rescue, salvage, prevention of diseases. Focusing on people's health care in the region strongly affected by climate change. Promoting accountability and mobilizing businesses and communities to actively participate in prevention avoidance and mitigation of natural disasters and response to climate change.

Performing the upgrading program to ensure the safety of reservoirs, especially in the central area, the Central Highlands, the mountainous northern midland. Upgrading critical sections of sea and river dyke, building saline intrusion sluice to keep fresh water. Protecting and pushing the recovery and growing of mangroves, coastal protection forests and watershed protection forests.

Protecting flood drainage space on river basins and river beds, first for the Red river, Mekong river, Cau river, Nhue river – Day river, Dong Nai river, Sai Gon river and other large rivers. Strengthening and newly building water supply and drainage works in urban centers, especially in coastal areas.

- Promote measures to prevent, combat and limit the impact of surges, inundation and flooding, saline intrusion caused by sea level rise.

Mapping the risk of flooding based on sea level rise scenarios to commune level. Reviewing, supplementing and adjusting strategy, planning for development sectors, fields, social and economic development of regions and localities in accordance with sea level rise scenarios. Actively moving and rearranging the residential areas in regions frequently affected by floods, storms and areas at risk of flash floods and landslides.

Implementing the flood protection project for Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Ca Mau and other coastal cities, especially in the Mekong River delta.

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Surveying, inventorying and building roadmap and plan for mitigation of greenhouse gas emission in line with each sectors and localities.

Promoting the mitigation of greenhouse gas emission in accordance with the conditions of our country on the basis of financial support and technology of other countries and international organizations. Developing market of carbon credit exchange market in the country and participating in the global carbon market.

Priority is given to the program of greenhouse gas emission reduction through efforts to prevent forest loss and degradation and create livelihood for the community.

Promoting the implementation of the national target program on economical and effective energy using.

b) Natural resource management

- Promoting survey and assessment of potential, volume, economic value, current status and trend of changes of the national resources.

Attaching much importance to the basic survey of natural resources, especially mineral resources, water resources, marine resources. Focusing on basic mineral geological surveys of deep seas to discover new minerals.

Gradually identifying and assessing values, setting up account and performing the accounting in the economy for types of national natural resources.

Evaluating and promoting the values of ecosystem services, landscape, and genetic resources.

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Developing strategies for the protection, exploitation and use of important natural resources to the development of the country. Setting up mechanism for managing and monitoring transparency and ensuring proper effective and sustainable use of national resources.

Minimizing and gradually putting an end to the export of raw minerals and primary processing, promoting intensive processing. With regard to particular strategic minerals such as coal, oil and gas ... there should be specific and balanced policies between import and export. Orientation to the reserve and import of some important minerals to meet the needs of long-term social and economic development of the country.

Renewing work of planning and land use plan, building databases on land. Promoting economical, rational and effective use; combining the protection of area and fertility of agricultural land; gradually overcoming the fragmentation and smallness in land use. Promoting the exploitation of unused land banking, opening new avenues for exploiting land banking in the midland and mountainous area for non-agricultural purposes.

Protecting, preventing desertification and becoming wasteland... and ensuring land area for sustainable forest development as planned, especially in the mountainous area of Northwest, North Central and Central Highlands.

Planning the exploitation and protection of water resources, strengthening water resources management in river basins, water storage and regulation of water resources for social and economic development. Enhancing the control of waste sources causing water pollution, tightly controlling the exploitation and use of water to ensure the saving, efficiency and sustainability. Actively cooperating with other countries and international organizations in the protection of trans-boundary water resources.

Controlling exploitation activities, combating and preventing destructive fishing to protect aquatic resources, especially near-shore areas.

- Promoting the development and use of new energy, renewable energy, materials, fuels, new materials to replace traditional resources.

Promoting investment in development and use of new energy, renewable energy, Boosting structural transformation of energy use by increasing the density of use of renewable energy and renewable energy in the total national energy. Encouraging all economic sectors to invest in developing new energy AND renewable energy.

Promoting the collaboration of exploration and exploitation of natural resources from the outside to serve the needs for social and economic development society. Developing production of raw materials, fuels and new materials to replace the traditional natural resources.

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- Preventing and controlling resources causing environmental pollution.

Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment, ensuring strategies, planning, plans and development projects to meet the requirements of environmental protection from the formulation, approval and implementation. Prohibiting the import of technology, implementing new investment projects using outdated technology, causing serious environmental pollution, consumption of raw materials, natural resources and low efficiency.

Implementing the management mechanism for environmental protection according to each type and degree of impact on the environment for the production and business facilities. Implementing roadmap to apply environmental regulations and standards (emission and technology) equivalent to the group of leading countries in the ASEAN region. Enhancing the control of environmental pollution, especially pollution in the industrial parks and clusters, mineral exploitation and venues exploiting and processing minerals, handicraft villages, river basins, the large urban centers and rural areas. Controlling air quality in urban areas and cities with high population density. Controlling pollution from agricultural production (pesticide residue, straw burning ...) affecting people’s health and life.

Strengthening inspection, monitoring and control of the environment for investment, transfer of technology to prevent the introduction of outdated technology, machinery, equipment, raw materials and fuel not satisfying environmental requirements from outside into our country. Limiting the adverse effects of international integration, globalization to the environment of our country.

Promoting the implementation of programs, wastewater treatment investment projects, especially wastewater containing heavy metals, radioactive materials, medical waste, industrial wastewater, wastewater from agricultural, forestry and seafood processing, urban domestic wastewater. Focusing on solid waste and hazardous waste management. Promoting the reuse, recycling, production and recovery of energy from waste.

Developing environment economics based on environmental industry, environmental protection services and waste recycling. Boosting socialization of environmental protection activities, promoting the development and use of new energy, clean energy, renewable energy, production and sustainable consumption.

- Overcoming pollution, improving environmental quality and people's living conditions, limiting the impact of environmental pollution on people’s health.

Paying attention to improving quality of living environment, supply of clean water and environment sanitation services to people, especially in urban areas, industrial zones, clusters, handicraft villages, rural areas, remote, deep-lying areas, islands and particularly difficult areas.

Fully assessing the damages caused by environmental pollution and clearly determining the responsibilities of agencies, organizations, businesses and individual for the pollution. Focusing on thoroughly and definitely handling the establishments causing serious environmental pollution, imposing strong sanctions, rigorously handling and forcing these establishments to perform the requirements for environmental protection and minimization of pollution, waste treatment in accordance with law.

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Strictly taking measures to restore the environment after mineral exploitation. Speeding up the clearance and addressing explosive remnants of war and improving dioxin-contaminated soils, returning land banking for social and economic development, improving the investment environment and ensuring safety for people.

Paying attention to improving quality of air, trees, space of recreation and entertainment in urban centers and residential areas, especially in big cities.

- Protection and development of forests, natural conservation and biodiversity

Protecting, restoring, regenerating natural forests, promoting reforestation, especially mangroves, coastal forests, watershed forests. Effectively preventing deforestation and forest fires. Stopping logging of natural forests soon.

Strengthening management and expanding the area of existing ​​nature reserves at eligible places and accelerating the establishment of new nature reserves. Prioritizing resources to protect the landscape, ecology and natural heritage.

Strictly protecting wild animals, plant varieties, medicinal plants, valuable animals, rare species at risk of extinction. Preventing the entry, development of invasive alien species. Strengthening risk management from genetically modified organisms.

IV- KEY SOLUTIONS

1- Strengthening, renewing dissemination, education, raising consciousness, forming awareness of proactive response to climate change and economical use of natural resources environmental protection

Diversifying forms, renewing contents, determining subjects prioritized for propagation, education, introducing the contents of response to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection into the training program of general education, universities, leadership training, and management. Disseminating experiences, building capacity and skills for natural disaster prevention, adaptation to climate change for people, businesses and society.

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Raising awareness of responsibility for environmental protection of leadership and management staff at all levels, sectors, businesses and people. Developing criteria and standards for environmental protection in the activities of agencies, organizations, businesses, officials and party members. Forming institutions of environmental culture and ethics in society. Performing environmental assessment and classification for sectors and localities.

2- Promoting research and application of scientific and technological advances in response to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection

Focusing on scientific research on response to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection. Early forming a number of key scientific specialties such as renewable energy, waste recycling, new materials, astronomy...

Promoting innovation of production technology towards environmentally friendly and energy-saving, efficiently using natural resources, less waste and lower carbon, researching, developing and receiving transfer of advanced technology for responding to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection, particularly focusing on non-structural solutions.

Strengthening the application of remote sensing technology, new and advanced technology based on information technology in forecasting, warning, survey, evaluation, response to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection.

Developing and implementing the key scientific and technological program of state-level for performance of objectives, key tasks and essential measures to respond to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection.

3- Strengthening state management in response to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection

Focusing on building and improving the law on respond to climate change, natural resource management, environmental protection and related areas such as investment, tax, handling administrative, civil violations... in the direction of supplementation and combination to overcome the overlapping and conflict of laws in order to create a favorable legal environment for the implementation of the tasks.

Improving settlement mechanism of dispute and conflict in response to climate change, exploitation and use of natural resources and environmental protection. Amending and supplementing the administrative, economic, criminal sanctions on natural resource management and environmental protection, ensuring sufficient deterrence. Promoting inspection, examination and strictly handling violations of law.

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4- Renewing and improving the financial mechanisms and policies, strengthening and diversifying resources in response to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection

Combining increase in expenditures from budget with diversification of foreign and domestic sources of investment capital, especially preferential capital resources for response to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection. Promoting the role and responsibilities of the specialized management ministries in mobilization, management and use of resources.

Annually prioritizing the allocation of appropriate budgets for basic survey and handling of environmental pollution, biodiversity conservation and adaptation to climate change. Prioritizing the allocation of funds for effective implementation of national target program on overcoming pollution and improving the environment of Cau river, Nhue river – Day river and Dong Nai river. Making sure to use with transparency, right purpose and effectiveness the ODA and other international aid.

Thoroughly grasping and effectively applying the principles: the polluter must make pay for handling, remedy of consequence, rehabilitation and restoration of environment; the person who benefits from the natural resources and environment must have obligation to contribute to reinvestment for natural resource management and environmental protection.

Implementing the supporting, preferential and incentive policies for businesses and people to be involved in activities of responding to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection; supporting people in afforestation and forest protection, especially the watershed forest, coastal mangrove forests, and people affected by the excessive exploitation of natural resources.

There is a roadmap by 2020 eliminating mechanisms and policies to support the price of fossil fuels; implementing subsidy for the first 10 years of project of developing new energy, renewable energy, clean energy, waste recycling and power generation from waste.

5- Attaching importance to international cooperation and integration in response to climate change, natural resource management and environmental protection

Proactively performing international cooperation and integration, attaching importance to participation and implementation of international agreements. Strengthening the exchange of information, experiences and policy dialogue with countries on response to climate change, natural resource management, environmental protection and the implementation of the millennium goals.

Promoting the cooperation with countries concerned, organizations and international forums to protect the trans-boundary water resources, having access to new technologies and mobilizing resources to reduce greenhouse gas emission, adapting to climate change and protecting environment;

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V- IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

1- The executive committees and Party organizations will research, thoroughly grasp and develop the plan for implementation of Resolution in accordance with the situation of the sectors, localities, agencies and units; supplementing criteria specified in the Resolution to the annual plans of the sectors, localities, agencies and units and annually reviewing and assessing their performance.

2- The Congress Party delegation will guide the review, amendment, supplementation and building of legal documents related to the field of state management of natural resources and environment to create uniform and synchronous legal grounds for the implementation and monitoring of implementation of the Resolution on a national scale.

3- The Government official section of communist party will guide the amendment of planning, plans and social-economic development programs; amending and supplementing by-law documents; regularly monitoring, inspecting and assessing the implementation and promptly regulating programs, plans and solutions in accordance with practical requirements.

4- The Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organizations will promote to persuade the strata to actively participate in the response to climate change, natural resource management, environmental protection and monitoring of implementation of the Resolution.

5- The Central Propaganda Department will assume the prime responsibility for propagation, dissemination and thorough grasping of resolution to the party executive committees, party cells and party members.

The Central Economic Commission will assume the prime responsibility for monitoring, inspecting and urging the implementation of Resolution and periodically make report to the Politburo.

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FOR THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
GENERAL SECRETARY




Nguyen Phu Trong