Sustaining recovery

Illustrative image (Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Norwegian Government and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) have reaffirmed their strong commitment to cooperating with and supporting Vietnam at the national and sub-national levels in ending gender biased sex selection (GBSS), for a brighter future for the next generation of Vietnamese.

The joint affirmation was made by Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Grete Lochen and UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara at a working session on April 15 to discuss gender equality in Vietnam, focusing on gender-based violence and GBSS.

Addressing the session, the ambassador said that the top priority of the Norwegian Government is to strengthen and observe global standards on the rights of girls and women, including changing the preference for sons.

The Norwegian Government is working with many partners and relevant parties, including the UNFPA, to deal with the problem on global, regional, and national scales, she said.

Lochen expressed delight at Vietnam’s pioneering role in dealing with GBSS, affirming that close cooperation and a comprehensive approach are among the major measures for the successful resolution of the problem.

For her part, Kitahara acknowledged Vietnam’s progress in promoting gender equality. She also said that this progress should be further sped up within the completion of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

She pledged to assist Vietnam and local social organisations to hasten changes towards becoming a modern, progressive country where all women and girls have access to the same opportunities as men and boys.

The working session was a chance for both sides to review the three-year “Addressing Gender Biased Sex Selection and Related Harmful Practices in Vietnam” project, which was launched in April 2020.

The project is being jointly funded by the UNFPA and the Norwegian Government, and implemented by the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the General Office for Population and Family Planning under the Ministry of Health, the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, and the Centre for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents.

It aims to support the Government’s ongoing efforts to fully implement approved legal and policy frameworks to end GBSS, and includes campaigns conducted through innovative approaches to change social norms and practices that reinforce the preference for sons and the low value of girls, strengthening capacities in the media, implementing the fatherhood programme, and streamlining the country’s coordination mechanisms for GBSS.

Vietnam’s gender imbalance has rapidly increased in recent times and stood at 111.5 boys per 100 girls in 2019, according to the 2019 Population and Housing Census./.

SEA of Solutions is aimed to become a platform for exchanging solutions and cooperation to mitigate plastic pollution.

SEA of Solutions, an annual partnership event solving plastic pollution at source, has addressed national efforts and international cooperation based on systematic approaches to various pollution sources, both on land and in the ocean.

Greenpeace together with the Break Free From Plastic coalition conducted a beach cleanup activity and plastics brand audit on Freedom Island, Philippines in 2017. Photo: Daniel Müller/Greenpeace

SEA of Solutions 2020, which was organized earlier this week in collaboration with Vietnam – the Chair of ASEAN 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council – has a positive meaning in politics, diplomacy, and the environment at the national, regional, and international scale.

As an annual event co-organized alternately in Southeast Asian countries by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), SEA of Solutions is aimed to become a platform for exchanging solutions and cooperation to tackle plastic pollution.

This year’s conference on solutions for plastic waste in the East Asia Sea region is a regional dialogue for stakeholders to share solutions for plastic pollution and marine waste; discuss difficulties in managing plastic waste during the Covid-19 pandemic; and identify solutions and opportunities to recycle and raise awareness of reducing plastic waste.

Representatives from UNEP, COBSEA, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the government of Vietnam, ASEAN+3 governments, and local and international organizations discussed the risk of plastic waste solution and marine waste.

At the three-day event conference that concluded on November 26, participants emphasized the need for effective coordination between different sectors and at different levels, different socio-economic sectors (including public and private sectors, civil society, civic organizations) to jointly take concrete actions to tackle plastic pollution and marine plastic waste challenge.

Le Minh Ngan, deputy minister of Vietnam’s Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) believes that the conference will significantly contribute to realizing each country’s commitments in reducing marine plastic waste. He reaffirmed Vietnam’s involvement and actions against marine plastic waste, especially in the negotiations of a Global Agreement on Marine Plastic Waste.

Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Vietnam Resident Representative, delivered speech at the conference. Photo: UNDP Vietnam

UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen said protecting the ocean from marine plastic debris means we are contributing to a sustainable ocean economy. That is the main agenda that UNDP is working with the Government of Vietnam and the Government of Norway for the high-level international conference on Sustainable Ocean Economy and Climate Change Adaptation “Solutions for a Climate Resilient Blue Economy”, which is going to be held in 2021.

She affirmed that UNDP stands ready to work with all stakeholders to identify more solutions, unlock new funding, and scale up innovative solutions that offer plastic reduction and sustainable development.

Ms. Wiesen emphasized that it’s time to act to save the planet and look toward sustainable development and she believed Vietnam and regional partners take opportunities to change and shift from the world’s worst plastic polluters to one of greatest drivers for innovation.

At the conference, the “Mitigating marine plastic debris in Vietnam” project was introduced as part of programs in Vietnam that help reduce marine plastic waste. The WWF-supported project is aimed to national priorities in both policy sphere and public awareness, greatly supporting the implementation of the National Action Plan on Management marine plastic waste to 2030 in Vietnam.

At the conference that was held both online and offline in Hanoi, a Technical Session in Vietnam on “Promoting Partnership to Combat Marine Plastic Debris in Vietnam” was also hosted.

Marine protected areas are aimed to shield threatened marine ecosystems and undersea resources from intrusive human activity.

Vietnam has set up marine protected areas as part of its efforts to sustainably develop fisheries resources and improve fishing traditions to protect aquatic environment in the country with more than 3,600 kilometers of coastline.

Vietnam is rich in marine resources

The ratio of marine protected areas (MPAs), which are essential for safeguarding biodiversity and the health of marine ecosystems, is around 0.185%, compared to 0.24% of the country’s sea given in the government’s Resolution 742/QĐ-TTg dated in 2010.

As of September 2020, MPAs cover 213,400 ha out of 270,271 ha set in the resolution, the information was released at a conference reviewing 10 years of protection and development of Vietnam’s marine resources by 2020 held last weekend by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Years ago, Vietnam was aware of the need to protect marine resources to tap potential of the country having more than one million square kilometers (sq.km) of sea as stated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) 1982.

Results

Over the past decade, Vietnam has formed 16 marine protected areas (MPAs) to shield threatened marine ecosystems and other undersea resources from intrusive human activity.

MPAs also provide living laboratories for oceanographers and marine biologists to conduct research.

Marine protected areas in Vietnam help protect fisheries resources

The list covers 12 operating MPAs namely Bach Long Vi (Haiphong city), Con Co (Quang Tri province), Cu Lao Cham (Quang Nam), Ly Son (Quang Ngai), Nha Trang Bay (Khanh Hoa), Cau Island (Binh Thuan); Phu Quoc (Kien Giang), Co To – Dao Tran (Quang Ninh), Bai Tu Long (Quang Ninh), Cat Ba (Haiphong), Nui Chua (Ninh Thuan), and Con Dao (Ba Ria-Vung Tau).

Four others under planning include Hon Me in Thanh Hoa province, Nam Yet in Khanh Hoa, Phu Quy in Binh Thuan, and Hai Van – Son Tra in Danang city and Thua Thien-Hue province.

In 2019, the country’s total seafood output hit 8.15 million tons, including 3.77 million tons of fishing and 4.38 million tons of aquaculture. Its seafood exports recorded US$8.6 billion, listing Vietnam the third largest seafood exporter behind China and Norway.

Great efforts

In 2017, the National Assembly passed Law on Fisheries that supplements the 2003 law with a focus on the protection and conservation of marine resources and biodiversity to ensure sustainable fishing industry.

The 2017 law details Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities and stipulates strict punishments compared to administrative penalties for violations in other fields. It takes into account EU recommendations, and extends to fishery products sourced from illegal fishing for temporary importation, re-export, temporary export, re-import, trans-shipment and transit through Vietnamese territory.

The dialogue on IUU fishing between the EU and Vietnam started in September 2012. The Commission identified Vietnam as non-cooperating country (yellow card) on October 23, 2017 following Vietnam’s failure to address the structural deficiencies in its legal and administrative frameworks to fight IUU fishing that was identified during previous visits.

This yellow card only signals the formalization of the existing dialogue. The Commission continues cooperating with Vietnamese authorities to address the situation that led to the yellow card.

The production line of Vinh Tuong Super Guard plasterboard at the Saint-Gobain Vietnam factory in Hai Phong City. — Photo Saint-Gobain Vietnam

Saint-Gobain Vietnam has officially launched the Vinh Tuong Sieu Bao Ve (Super Guard) ceiling product with outstanding air purification ability.

Thanks to the core components of the sheet applying technology from Europe – Activ Air, Vinh Tuong Super Guard proactively senses, detects and absorbs harmful gases in the house (Formaldehyde) then converts it into inert gas that does not affect health. This process is repeated continuously and lasts up to 50 years.

Dang Minh Phuong, Northern Managing Director of Saint-Gobain Vietnam said that Vinh Tuong Super Guard ceiling was a big step forward in health protection technology.

“Vinh Tuong Super Guard ceiling with superior air purification function will bring optimal, proactive and sustainable solutions for families to minimise harmful gases, providing a quality and safe living space for people,” said Phuong.

Certified by Eurofins Europe, the plasterboard ceiling has the ability to purify up to 85 per cent of the air, 5 per cent higher than the standards of European countries. Vinh Tuong Super Guard ceiling is produced at the company’s most modern factory in Southeast Asia in Thuy Nguyen District, Hai Phong City. — VNS