Sustainable development requires concrete initiatives and actions

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses the National Conference on Sustainable Development at Melia Hotel in Ha Noi on September 12, 2019. Photo: VGP

     >>> Gov’t to host national conference on sustainable development

The Government chief made the request while addressing the national conference on sustainable development in Ha Noi this afternoon.

He said that sustainable development is not only a pressing requirement and but also an inevitable trend and it has been consistently stated in the country’s national development programs and plans.

Over the last three decades of reform, comprehensive measures have been introduced to foster sustainable development, bringing back significant achievements, including stable macro-economy, high growth rates, and improved growth quality.

Viet Nam scored 0.694 on the global human development index in 2017 and jumped three places to 54th among 162 countries and territories on the sustainable development goal index, or second to only Thailand in the Southeast Asian region.

The country also made significant improvements in such fields like poverty reduction, education, energy accession, and climate change adaptation, according to Phuc.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasizes that for more sustainable development in the next decade, concrete initiatives and actions are needed. Photo: VGP

He however pointed out that the above outcomes have been incommensurate with the country’s potential and advantages while greater efforts are needed to further enhance the quality, effectiveness and competitiveness of the economy.

Phuc frankly named string of shortcomings, especially natural resources have not been exploited and used effectively, causing environmental pollution.

He called for acceleration of restructuring and improvement of institutions towards more effective use of natural resources and energy in a bid to achieve sustainable economic development.

The UN-led sustainable development goals, especially goals no. 13 and 14, must be incorporated in the national development strategy.

Last month, the Government chief approved a project to foster the circular economy, under which the Government encourages production-consumption models based on utilization of social resources and cost reduction.

Phuc had also committed to joining foreign governments’ efforts to realize the green goals by 2030 and beef up public-partnership projects in green growth while addressing the Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) Summit in Denmark last October.

He took the occasion to laud drastic measures by various localities, including Ha Noi, Quang Ninh, Quang Nam and several supermarkets, in planting trees and removal of single-used plastic products and nylon bags.

“Only by taking concrete initiatives and actions, can we translate orientations and strategic goals on green and sustainable growth into reality,” stressed the PM.

He emphasized the need to invest more in improving the quality of human resource, particularly in remote and disadvantaged areas to reach the human development goals as committed.

Phuc also underlined the need to adopt stronger policies to encourage circular economy model in production and consumption.

He tasked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to coordinate with relevant ministries, agencies and the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry to submit a resolution on sustainable to the Government for consideration and issuance./.

By Kim Anh