State management of natural resources and the environment

15/09/2015

      There have been so far nearly 41 million land use right certificates granted for a total area of 22.7 million hectares of land nationwide        At the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s conference reviewing 2013 operations and 2014 orientations on January 7, 2014, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told the whole natural resource and environment sector to enhance natural resource management and environmental protection and take the initiative in coping with climate change, saying that they are integral to the country’s sustainable development.      According to Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Minh Quang, State management in the field of natural resources and the environment saw positive changes in 2013, contributing to ensuring economic growth and social welfare and catered for the country’s sustainable development.     The Minister said that State management of land saw many obvious changes, especially in the granting of land use right certificates reaching a record high. Reports from localities show that there have been so far nearly 41 million land use right certificates granted for a total area of 22.7 million hectares of land nationwide, accounting for 94 percent of all land that must have a land use right certificate and 96 percent of all land meeting conditions to be granted a land use right certificate.      The natural resource and environment sector has made efforts to cope with climate change. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP19 (this is the 19th yearly session of the Conference of the Parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 9th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol) from November 11-23, 2013 in Warsaw in Poland, Vietnam reaffirmed its determination to work closely with the international community to respond to global climate change and urged developed countries to make early commitments to cutting and limiting greenhouse gas emissions.      Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung highly rated what the natural resource and environment sector achieved over the past year. Environmental protection is a major and sensitive issue so the prime minister told the whole natural resource and environment sector to enhance natural resource management and environmental protection and take the initiative in coping with climate change saying that they are integral to the country’s sustainable development.      Minister Nguyen Minh Quang said, with the goal of creating a breakthrough in the management of natural resources and environmental protection, key tasks of the sector in 2014 will include promotion of Law enforcement and strengthening inspection and examination in the whole natural resource and environmental sector. The Ministry will focus on effectively building, improving and implementing policies on natural resources and the environment, boost inspection and examination, and deal with environmental violations, stimulate international cooperation, learn from foreign experiences and make use of assistance from foreign countries and international organizations. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that in the New Year, the MONRE needs to perform the following tasks: - Work with the Ministry of Finance on building five decrees providing guidelines for implementing the amended land law for submission to the government before July 1, 2014; - To issue circulars, including joint circulars of ministries to promptly remove difficulties and shortcomings in current land management mechanisms especially those related to land acquisition, compensation and land prices when the amended land law takes effect; and- To build neat strategies and plans to strictly manage and efficiently exploit natural resources.     VEN