BÀ RỊA – VŨNG TÀU – Government officials urged businesses to achieve sustainable development goals and come up with practical plans at a seminar about environmental protection held yesterday in Vũng Tàu City.

Hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the seminar was organised following a series of events that celebrated 2017 World Environment Day (June 5), with the theme “Connecting People to Nature”.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyễn Linh Ngọc said that environmental degradation was on the rise, posing a direct threat to Việt Nam’s development achievements.

“The seminar seeks to revise and improve existing environmental laws, together with relevant documents,” Ngọc said, adding that he encouraged enterprises to exchange ideas and take more responsibility in pursuing sustainable business.

VCCI’s director Võ Tân Thành said that sustainability takes into account social, economic and environmental factors.

“We haven’t paid sufficient attention on preserving the environment but have focused on other factors. The recent effects of climate change and extreme weather events have required us to make immediate changes to our development model,” he added.

In addition to changes in policies, the seminar discussed water pollution control, environmental impact assessment and hazardous waste management, among other topics.

“A total of 67 industrial parks and 532 industrial clusters in Việt Nam do not have a quality wastewater treatment system. Together with more than 5,000 craft villages that live on outdated technologies, they have directly affected public health,” Ngọc said.

He added that similar seminars would be held in the time to come to help officials stay up to date with business enterprises and draft effective policies for them to achieve sustainable development goals.

On the same day, the Việt Nam Environment Administration (VEA) and Vinamilk Corporation held a tree-planting ceremony as part of the “A Million Trees for Việt Nam” project.

It was attended by the president of the Việt Nam Women’s Union Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà, deputy minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyễn Linh Ngọc and chief of the Progamme Partnership Office at UNICEF Việt Nam Marianne Oehlers, among others.

Another seminar to raise awareness about health risks from outdoor burning activities was also held. – VNS