Meeting celebrates World Environment Day - June 5, 2013 Communities join hands to protect environment

15/09/2015

On June 5th in Hue city, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in collaboration with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Thua Thien - Hue People’s Committee held a meeting in response to the World Environment Day 2013. Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said this year’s WED, with the theme Think.Eat.Save”, sends an important message to each person, household and organisation so that they are more aware of impacts of the food they choose on the environment, thus contributing to protecting natural resources and the environment. Waste of food is waste of natural resources, the Deputy PM affirmed, adding that Vietnam needs to focus on preventing environmental pollution in order to create a cleaner and healthier living environment for local residents today and in the future. At the meeting, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta suggested Vietnam establish a environmentally-friendly lifestyle to minimise negative impacts on the environment and create a big alliance from the Government to social organisations and individuals to make them join hands for a future environmentally-friendly and sustainable environment.   Deputy PM Nguyen Thien Nhan presents Vietnam Environment Awards 2013 According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the global food production accounts for 25% of the land area of the world, consumes about 70% of fresh water, contributes 80% of deforestation and causes 30% of the greenhouse- effect emissions. That is the biggest origin of biodiversity loss and changes in land-use types. Meanwhile, 1.3 billion tonnes of food or one third of global food output is wasted or lost every year. One in every seven people in the world suffers hunger and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die of hunger a day. On this occasion, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment presented Vietnam Environment Awards 2013 to 31 units, including the News for Foreign Services Department of the Vietnam News Agency, 18 individuals and one community for their outstanding contributions to protecting the environment. Activities respond to World Environment Day Localities nationwide have taken various activities to respond to the World Environment Day, which takes the theme “Think. Eat. Save” + The Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and the Bac Ninh provincial People’s Committee jointly hosted a meeting during which a call for greater efforts to protect the environment and deal with climate change was made for women across the country. + 1,000 students of Dong Thap University in the Mekong Delta province of the same name gathered to learn about different ways to preserve the environment healthily. On this occasion, the provincial Red Cross society kick-started a campaign to raise local people’s awareness of using fresh water wisely. + A tree planting campaign has also been launched at the Bo Y international border gate, Ngoc Hoi district, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum , with a total of 2,300 trees planted. Kon Tum leaders joined their counterparts from Cambodian province of Rattanakiri at the ceremony. + Thousands of trees have been planted in many localities nationwide such as the northern mountainous province of Lang Son and Lam Dong province in the Central Highlands . + Joining efforts to protect the environment, the southern province of An Giang on June 5 released over five tonnes of fish into the Hau river, aiming to preserve indigenous and rare species of fish. + The capital city of Hanoi has also vowed to set up a network of communications staff whose responsibilities are to monitor the management of environment pollution in industrial, processing and hi-tech zones. The move is in line with the city’s goal to equip industrial zones, processing zones, industrial clusters and hi-tech parks with sewage treatment systems by 2015.  + The Lao Cai provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment has assigned the provincial environmental protection agency to work with the managing board of industrial areas to supervise the implementation of projects on environmental pollution treatment. The agency has also inspected the performance of production facilities and businesses in environmental protection.  + The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, which is among ten localities hardest hit by sea level rise, has issued a plan of action to cope with climate change during the 2011 - 2015 period.                                                 VEA (English edition I-2013- VEM)