On the morning of September 21, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) coordinated with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to organize a national launching ceremony in response to the “Clean up the World” campaign 2021.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan launched the “Clean up the World” Campaign 2021
The ceremony was concurrently held virtually in Ha Noi. At the Central bridge point, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan and Mr. Ngo Van Cuong – Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee chaired with the attendance of representatives of units under MONRE and the Youth Union. At 10 other bridge points in 5 provinces and cities: Ha Noi, Thai Binh, Bac Giang, Thanh Hoa, Quang Nam, representatives of the Youth Union at all levels and leaders of the Departments of Natural Resources and Environment attended. The event was also accompanied by international organizations.
The “Clean up the World” Campaign has been launched globally by the United Nations Environment Program since 1993 and is held on the third week of September every year. Up to now, the Campaign has become an important annual international environmental event, attracting the participation of more than 130 countries, including Viet Nam.
This year, the launching ceremony took place amid the complicated development of the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Minister Vo Tuan Nhan suggested that the delegates remembered the people of Viet Nam and many other countries around the world who lost their lives in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in recent times, and express deep gratitude to the frontline forces in the fight against the epidemic, including the silent contributions of officials, workers, and environmental sanitation workers who always presented in the hottest spots in hospitals, treatment areas, concentrated isolation areas, and blockade areas to collect, transport and treat hazardous medical waste with strict technical requirements, contributing to preventing the risk of disease transmission in the community.
Comrade Ngo Van Cuong, Secretary of the HCYU Central Committee, spoke at the ceremony
Join hands to act for the environment
Environmental protection work is being conducted in the new development stage of the country with many advantages, but also many difficulties and challenges; the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic is becoming more and more complicated and unpredictable, posing new requirements and tasks.
During the launching ceremony, on behalf of MONRE, Deputy Minister Vo Tuan Nhan suggested that all levels, sectors, mass organizations, units, businesses and the community joined hands in action and implementation of activities.
It is to strengthen strict control of the collection, transportation and treatment of waste generated in the area, especially domestic waste, medical waste generated by the Covid-19 pandemic following regulations and guidelines of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, the Ministry of Health and MONRE; to focus on thoroughly solving environmental pollution problems affecting people's lives and health; to step up the inspection, examination and strict penalties for violations of the law on waste management and environmental protection, with special emphasis on sanitation and environmental quality improvement in urban and rural areas to support the epidemic prevention and control activities actively and effectively.
In addition, to promote propaganda, dissemination and education to raise awareness and responsibility of people and communities in protecting, preserving and ensuring environmental sanitation in the area; to focus on propagating waste classification at source, minimizing waste generation, increasing reuse and recycling; to refuse to use disposable plastic products and hard-to-degrade plastic bags; to encourage the development and use of environmentally friendly substitutes.
The Deputy Minister also suggested the ministries, branches and localities to well implement Official Letter No. 5727 dated September 17, 2021, of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on organizing activities in response to the “Clean up the world” Campaign 2021. Implement specific solutions to effectively implement the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, especially effective activities to manage solid waste, treat wastewater, control air pollution, and protect natural resources, promote circular economic models, green and environmentally-friendly economy in the socio-economic development of the locality. Timely detect and praise typical models, good and effective practices of environmental protection, nature conservation and biodiversity for dissemination and replication.
Environmental protection is the right, obligation and responsibility of all agencies, organizations, communities, households and individuals. The Deputy Minister called on all of us to participate in responding to the “Clean up the world” Campaign through practical actions, from simple activities such as sorting waste from households, participating in environmental sanitation activities, planting more trees, say “no” to disposable, hard-to-degrade plastic waste, ... to long-term solutions and measures such as investment in pollution treatment, monitoring and warning of environmental pollution, implementation of circular economy and green economy model, biodiversity conservation, ... to contribute to environmental protection and sustainable socio-economic development.
Delegates at the bridge points spoke in response to the Campaign
Pioneering youth
Determining the pivotal and pioneering role of youth union members in environmental protection activities, Comrade Ngo Van Cuong, Secretary of the HCYU Central Committee, suggested that the unions at all levels organize widespread propaganda to the union’s members and young people about the purpose and meaning of the Campaign through different creative and innovative methods, in which, promoting activities on social networking platforms and visual propaganda; organize cleaning and sanitation activities at living and working areas, schools, lecture halls, planting trees, raising self-awareness of environmental protection and preservation; and organize the implementation, start-up, construction and handover of projects and models of youth in environmental protection and climate change response.
Based on the actual situation, the units organize virtual seminars, conferences, and talks to provide and equip knowledge for union officials and youth union members on environmental protection work, which focuses on the application of probiotics from indigenous microorganisms to treat environmental pollution; promote the role of Youth Volunteer Teams in the application of biotechnology in environmental protection at district and commune levels through actively registering to handle environmental pollution spots in the locality...
Some activities will be immediately implemented by the Central Committee of the Youth Union, such as directing the implementation of the 4th nationwide Green Sunday in 2021 on September 19, practically and effectively amid the epidemic, with the Central level point to be held in Tay Ninh; deploying 3 youth-tree routes at central level in Bac Giang, Thai Binh and Ha Noi; deploying "Livelihood Garden" in Quang Nam to build a green lifestyle, stabilize economic development, create landscape and protect the environment, respond to climate change, aiming at the goal of planting 1 billion trees as launched by the Prime Minister. In collaboration with the United Nations Development Program, MONRE will organize the closing and awarding ceremony of the "Youth for Climate Innovation" contest. The program “Clean up – Live green” is going to be launched on Facebook from September 21 to September 30.
Mr. Le Van Chau, Secretary of Thanh Hoa provincial HCYU, said that Thanh Hoa provincial HCYU will launch the program "Clean up – live green" on social platforms and implement a model of a no-plastic-waste market, as well as actively coordinate with authorities and socio-political organizations to develop models of effective and practical environmental protection, such as using microorganisms for waste treatment according to the circular economic model.
In Bac Giang, according to Mr. Vu Van Tuong, Deputy Director of Bac Giang Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the province will focus on environmental sanitation, improving the urban and rural environment, and stepping up the inspection and examination of waste treatment. Bac Giang will actively implement the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 and its guiding documents, encourage the entire population to participate in waste collection, contributing to the successful implementation of the goals of economic development and environmental protection.
Uyen Nguyen