The general objective of the event is to promote the sustainable development of the business community in Vietnam, including evaluating potential impacts of economic growth on environment; disseminating and raising awareness in the business community on environmental issues; appealing for the cooperation and investment of enterprises on environment related fields including waste management, water waste disposal and recycling, energy efficiency, eco-friendly concepts and green technology. It had the participation of over 120 senior participants including representatives from MONRE and other central bodies, representatives from several international development organizations in Vietnam, VNH investee company executives, as well as other enterprises.

 

The featured speaker of the forum is Mr Christoph von Waldersee, former executive of the German Government Development Bank DEG/KfW; advisor on corporate and public clients through the World Bank and ADB provides in his presentation a wide scope of insights gained during his many years of experience with environmental issues in Asia.

 

Mr Christoph von Waldersee has outlined the environmental issues resulting from high growth in all economies, particularly emerging economies like Vietnam, including Urbanization, Climate Change, Water & Air pollution and Bio-Diversity.

 

By emphasizing the economic opportunities related to these environmental issues and how they have been successfully explored, Mr von Waldersee gave some fruitful thoughts to reflect upon. Several Chinese public private partnerships and the ongoing German reforestation projects in China were particularly noteworthy and interesting. 

 

 

At the forum, Deputy Minister Bui Cach Tuyen said, in the implementation of the past 10-year socio-economic development strategy, Vietnam had attained significant achievements in many fields, with average economic growth of 7.2 percent per annum. In 2011, in the context of difficulties and challenges, economic growth still reached at 6 percent and GDP per capita hit US$1,400. Vietnam has become the average-income country. However, the above achievements don’t meet the potential, and the economy is unsustainable. This economic growth depends largely on extensive development; slowly turning to intensive development. The environment is heavily polluted in many areas, soil and other resources haven’t been well managed, inefficient exploration and use have challenged environment protection including requirements for environment protection and sustainable development vs. economic growth; backward environment protection infrastructure vs. increasingly arisen waste; need for raising capital for environment protection vs. limited capability of State budget, hesitation of enterprises and individuals in investment and environment protection.

 

Deputy Minister Bui Cach Tuyen also emphasized that with the guideline that socio-economic development should go with environment protection and improvement, actively react to climate change, the Vietnam 2010-2020 socio-economic development strategy has projected that by 2020, forest coverage will reach 45 percent and most rural and urban population will have access to clean and sanitized water. Newly-established businesses will have to apply clean, eco-friendly technologies or be well equipped with pollution treatment and waste disposal equipments; more than 80 percent of businesses will meet environmental standards. Municipalities from type 4 and all industrial zones and export processing zones will have central water waste treatment; 95 percent normal solid waste, 85 percent harmful waste and 100 percent medical waste will be delivered standard treatment; heavily polluted areas will be improved and recovered. The strategy also emphasizes that economic development should go along with environment protection and green economic development; the implementation of sustainable manufacturing and consumption; the step by step development of clean energy, clean manufacturing and consumption; pushing up the socialization of environment protection, the development of environment services and waste treatment.

Thus, in order to reach the above objectives, he stated that Vietnam needs to call and mobilize investment resources for environmental issues and MONRE will collect all opinions and remarks in this forum and summarize, research and propose policies and solutions to improve the effectiveness of environment protection.

 

Besides, Mrs Min-Hwa Hu Kupfer, Chairperson of Vietnam Holding agreed with the statement that the development of Vietnam is more important than ever before, and it is necessary to boost cooperation between government, businesses and NGO enterprises concerning both short and long-term investments in necessary environmental solutions including waste management, water waste disposal and recycling, energy efficiency, eco-friendly products and services, and clean technology.

 

Following is the panel discussion of leading experts, MONRE officials and industry executives about key environmental issues facing Vietnamese enterprises today. The panel addressed environmental impacts in the local context while focusing on topics such as strategic resource planning. Panellists also shed light on environmental management strategies and discussed how applying them can add value to products and serve to create a strong local brand.

 

 

The potential impacts of economic growth on environment were clearly defined and evaluated. Thus the business community in Vietnam is aware of environment challenges to the sustainable development of their business and also the investment opportunities in the environment – related fields.

Source: Vietnam Business forum