Creating an institutional foundation for the development of the natural resources and environment sector

Former Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Mai Ai Truc said that since its establishment in 2002, the urgent task for the Ministry was to perfect the legal system to contribute to promoting socio-economic development and facilitating management work.

Perfecting the institution right from the first steps

According to Mr. Mai Ai Truc, when the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment was established on August 5, 2002, there were many tasks to be undertaken right from the start. However, the urgent and central task throughout the first term of the Ministry was to build and perfect the legal system in the fields managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to contribute to promoting socio-economic development and facilitating the management of these fields.

At that time, the Ministry was assigned to manage land, water resources, minerals, environment, hydrometeorology, surveying and mapping; later expanded to include climate change, seas and islands. “Every field needs to build or perfect the legal framework, but land is the hottest field. Until now, after more than 20 years, the land field still receives special attention. Therefore, the Ministry always focuses on this field,” Mr. Mai Ai Truc recalled.

The land sector has always received special attention from the natural resources and environment sector.

With strong determination for reform, within just over 9 months since the decision to establish the Drafting Committee, the Land Law (amended) has correctly and fully institutionalized the Resolution of the 3rd Conference (9th term) of the Party Central Committee on continuing to innovate land policies and laws in the period of promoting industrialization and modernization of the country and has been approved by the National Assembly .

Mr. Mai Ai Truc said that the 2003 Land Law and Decree 181 were jokingly called “super decrees” because of their large capacity, creating a buzz at that time. Compared to the previous 1993 Land Law, the 2003 Land Law has many innovative contents.

The highlights of the revised Land Law at that time were to clarify the State's rights as the representative of the entire people's ownership of land and to unify land management; at the same time, to stipulate more specifically the rights of land users, including handling many problems in recognizing and granting land use right certificates for many cases that had not been granted certificates for a long time before.

Also in this law, the market economy thinking is clearly shown when the State-regulated land price must be close to the actual transfer price under normal conditions. When there is a large difference compared to the actual land use right transfer price on the market, it must be adjusted accordingly. In addition, promoting the decentralization of land management to localities helps to streamline procedures and meet the needs of people and businesses more promptly.

New thinking in environmental protection

Along with land, the legal framework for the fields of water resources, minerals, hydrometeorology, surveying and mapping is also gradually being completed, clearly defining the responsibilities of ministries, branches and localities, towards effective and sustainable exploitation of natural resources.

Realizing the importance of balancing growth and environmental protection, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has proactively worked with the Central Economic Committee to submit to the Politburo Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW in 2004 on environmental protection during the period of accelerating industrialization and modernization of the country.

The Resolution identifies the viewpoint of considering the environment “an indispensable factor in sustainable socio-economic development, placing environmental protection on par with other development goals” and “taking people as the center, closely combining economic development with solving social problems and environmental protection”.

Mr. Mai Ai Truc said, regarding tasks and solutions, the Politburo requested: "Diversify investment sources for the environment. The state budget alone needs to have a separate expenditure item for environmental career activities and increase expenditure to ensure that by 2006 it will reach a spending level of no less than 1% of total budget expenditure and gradually increase this ratio according to the growth rate of the economy."

“In the Politburo meeting to discuss and approve this Resolution, some opinions were hesitant about recording that percentage in the Resolution, but after listening to the presentation of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on the need to allocate a stable budget for environmental causes, General Secretary Nong Duc Manh concluded: It is necessary to keep this regulation, considering it the “highlight” of the Resolution,” Mr. Mai Ai Truc shared.

According to Mr. Mai Ai Truc, in the following terms, the development and improvement of laws in the fields managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will continue to be strengthened and have many important innovations, but the above core issues on land and environment will not change, only be clarified and made more feasible.

Currently, agriculture and the environment have been jointly managed, many areas previously managed by the two ministries are closely linked. The integration and combination of policies as well as the development of laws in an integrated manner is a requirement that needs to be raised.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/tao-dung-nen-tang-the-che-phat-trien-nganh-tai-nguyen-va-moi-truong-20251109162747429.htm