The working group of the National Assembly's Ethnic Council worked with the Provincial People's Committee.

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Ethnic Council Nguyen Lam Thanh speaks at the working session with the leaders of the Provincial People's Committee.

Since the implementation of the Law on Forest Protection and Development in 2004, by the end of 2023, Dien Bien province had allocated land and forests, and issued land use right certificates for forestry purposes, totaling 501,239.96 hectares. Specifically, during the period 2019-2023, Dien Bien province implemented this on a total area of 93,608.40 hectares. To organize production on the allocated forest land and create stable livelihoods for ethnic minority communities, the province implemented several policies, programs, and projects to support forestry development during the 2019-2023 period, including: the Sustainable Forestry Development Program; Sub-project 1, Project 3 of the National Target Program for Economic Development in Ethnic Minority Areas; the Sustainable Forest Protection and Development Project; and support for forest development under Decision No. 38/2016/QD-TTg. Decree No. 75/2015/ND-CP; Decision No. 45/2018/QD-UBND dated December 24, 2018 of the Provincial People's Committee...

The total capital mobilized for forest protection and development activities in the province during the 2019-2023 period was 1,440 billion VND. The funds were primarily allocated to several forestry activities such as: planting protective forests, production forests, scattered trees, developing non-timber forest products, supporting forest protection, enclosing and nurturing natural forest regeneration without supplementary planting, and carrying out other specific activities as prescribed.

Experience over the years has shown that, alongside appropriate and positive policies that contribute to stable income creation and motivate people to change their mindset regarding forest management and protection, some regulations and guidelines from central ministries and agencies are still unsuitable for the actual conditions of Dien Bien province. These include: the lengthy procedures for converting natural forest land to other uses for projects, leading to delays in construction progress and disbursement of allocated funds; the lack of specific and clear regulations on penalties for community forest owners who cause deforestation and forest fires, posing a risk of forest loss; and the low level of support for forest protection and development activities, which does not truly encourage people to participate in these activities.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Lo Van Tien proposed and recommended to the working group a number of regulations and policy mechanisms on forest management and protection.

Dien Bien province has requested central ministries and agencies to consider amending regulations on the eligibility of forest land allocation, requiring individuals to legally reside in the commune where the forest is located (stipulated in points c and d, clause 2, Article 16 and point a, clause 3, Article 17 of the Forestry Law); to promptly issue mechanisms and regulations for the implementation of forest carbon credits, and to allocate additional funds for their implementation; and to provide guidance on the liquidation of forest assets in accordance with the law on public asset management.

The delegation from the National Assembly's Ethnic Affairs Council shared the difficulties faced by Dien Bien province in implementing policies and laws related to forest management and protection, and creating livelihoods for ethnic minorities. The delegation will gather and synthesize the difficulties, obstacles, and recommendations from Dien Bien province to propose to central agencies for timely consideration and resolution, meeting the needs and aspirations of the people; creating sustainable livelihoods so that people remain connected to and protect the forests sustainably.

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