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| Director of Vietnam Sea and Islands Administration Nguyen Duc Toan speaks and presents Vietnam's viewpoint on green finance. (Photo: TL) |
On the morning of November 6, the 2024 East Asia Sea Congress with the theme: "Blue Synergy for a Shared Future: One Sustainable and Resilient Ocean" was opened at the Xiamen International Convention Center, Xiamen City, China.
The event takes place concurrently with World Ocean Week from November 6 to 8, 2024, co-hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People's Republic of China, the Xiamen Municipal People's Government and the Partnership for Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA).
The delegation of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment led by Mr. Nguyen Duc Toan, Director General of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands, attended the Congress. In addition, representatives of local leaders who are members of PEMSEA networks also attended the Congress, including Da Nang city, Quang Nam province and Thua Thien-Hue.
The working session on the morning of November 6th saw an important event, the Ministerial Forum and the signing of the Ministerial Statement, with the dialogue theme: “From Declaration to Implementation: Innovations, Opportunities and Prospects for the EAS Region”.
Along with that, there are many other activities within the framework of the Congress including: Exhibition on achievements in sustainable development of seas and coastal areas of countries in the East Asia Sea region; Dialogues on the Resonance Effect in ensuring the participation of many stakeholders and the science -policy interface Resonance Effect in technological innovation and approaches; International workshops on the topics of Ocean Innovation and Finance, Ocean Science, Policy and Practice; Global Challenges, Local Solutions, Forum and Annual Meeting of the PEMSEA Local Government Network (PNLG); PEMSEA Academic Center Network (PNLC)...
Vietnam has completed the institution for sustainable development of marine economy.
At the Ministerial Forum, Director of the Vietnam Sea and Islands Administration Nguyen Duc Toan spoke and presented Vietnam's viewpoint on green finance.
Director Nguyen Duc Toan said that green finance and green investment are new and have great potential. With more than half of the population living in coastal areas, where a significant number of the workforce is involved in marine-related industries, Vietnam's green economy is not only a driving force for regional prosperity but also contributes to the development of Vietnam.
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| Delegates attending the Congress took a souvenir photo. (Photo: TL) |
Vietnam has set a strategic goal of becoming a strong maritime nation, rich from the sea. The strategy for sustainable development of the marine economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, was approved in 2018. This strategy has put forward policies and breakthroughs in developing the blue marine economy, emphasizing the development of a green growth model and environmental protection. To implement this strategy, the Vietnamese Government has also issued a Master Plan and a 5-year Government Plan.
Director Nguyen Duc Toan also said that Vietnam has made a breakthrough in perfecting the institution for sustainable development of the marine economy by issuing a number of strategies such as: Strategy for exploiting and sustainably using resources and protecting the marine and island environment until 2030, with a vision to 2050; National marine spatial planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050; Master plan for exploiting and sustainably using coastal resources for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050.
“In line with its commitment to the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), Vietnam has made great efforts to promote the implementation of integrated coastal zone management, cooperating with other countries in the region for sustainable development of the sea and coastal areas in the East Asia Sea. With the support of international organizations, especially PEMSEA, Vietnam has successfully implemented SDS-SEA, specifically: We have expanded the scale of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in all 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities; promulgated the Law on Marine and Island Resources and Environment; developed and published the National Report on the State of the Ocean and Coast; National Report on the State of the Marine and Island Environment for the period 2016 - 2021; and implemented many activities at the national and local levels,” Director Nguyen Duc Toan shared.
However, according to Director Nguyen Duc Toan, the reality is that resources for implementing green projects are still very limited and implementation capacity has not been improved. “We hope that, through forums like today, PEMSEA, international organizations, and governments will strengthen international cooperation to mobilize more abundant financial resources, increase technology transfer to promote green economy and green finance. Only then can we achieve certain results.”
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| Overview of the Conference. (Photo: TL) |
Speaking on Vietnam's commitment and statement on continuing to support PEMSEA and implementing SDS-SEA in Vietnam, the Director of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands said: Vietnam reaffirms its commitment to continue cooperating with all countries in the region and other partners, taking action together and sharing experiences and best practices towards the common goal of sustainable development in the East Asia sea region.
“We are committed to continuing to support the goals of PEMSEA and implementing the SDS-SEA Implementation Plan 2023 – 2027 to effectively manage international seas and coastal areas, people and economies, and to jointly develop and further strengthen our regional partnership and cooperation,” Director General Nguyen Duc Toan emphasized.
The Congress reviews the progress made and the challenges in achieving regional and global commitments and targets over the past period, as well as the way forward to build greater collaborative action through cooperation, coordination and knowledge sharing among stakeholder groups, ensuring the goal of a sustainable and resilient ocean for a common future.
According to the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands, the organization of the Congress helps promote the sharing of knowledge, best practice models, as well as local optimization solutions to maintain sustainable seas/oceans; Expand cross-border connectivity to accelerate the development of technology applications and approaches to promote environmental, social and economic benefits; more importantly, create innovation momentum and mobilize partnerships and resources to realize the vision of the East Asia Seas Sustainable Development Strategy and the Strategy Implementation Plan for the period 2023 - 2027 that have been approved.
The East Asian Sea Congress is organized by PEMSEA every three years, rotating among member countries. This is an international conference on sustainable development and management of coastal and ocean areas, focusing on the East Asian seas./.
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