Decision No. 256/2003/QĐ-TTg Approving the National Environmental Protection Strategy to 2010 and Orientations to 2020

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the Approval of the National Environmental Protection Strategy until 2010

and orientations until 2020

_______________________

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

On the basis of the Environmental Protection Law dated December 27, 1993;

At the proposal of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approves the National Environmental Protection Strategy until 2010 and orientations until 2020 with the main contents as follows:

1. Viewpoints:

- The Environmental Protection Strategy is an inseparable component of the Socio-Economic Development Strategy, serving as a crucial foundation to ensure sustainable national development. Economic development must be closely and harmoniously combined with social development and environmental protection. Investment in environmental protection is investment for sustainable development.

- Environmental protection is the responsibility of the entire society, at all levels, sectors, organizations, communities, and every citizen.

- Environmental protection must be based on strengthening state management, institutional frameworks, and laws, alongside enhancing public awareness and sense of responsibility regarding environmental protection.

- Environmental protection is a continuous and long-term effort. Prevention should be prioritized, combined with pollution control and remediation, and environmental quality improvement; efforts should focus on key areas and priorities; science and technology should be considered effective tools in environmental protection.

- Environmental protection has a national, regional, and global nature, therefore it is necessary to combine internal capacity enhancement with increased international cooperation in environmental protection and sustainable development.

2. Major orientations until 2020:

a) To fundamentally prevent the increase in pollution levels, restore degradation, and improve environmental quality, ensuring sustainable national development; ensuring that all citizens live in an environment with air, land, water, landscape, and other natural environmental factors meeting standards set by the State.

b) Strive to achieve the following key targets:

- 80% of production and business establishments obtain Environmental Standard Certification or ISO 14001 Certificate.

- 100% of cities, industrial zones, export processing zones have centralized wastewater treatment systems meeting environmental standards.

- Form and develop a recycling industry to reuse waste, striving for 30% of collected waste to be recycled.

- 100% of urban population and 95% of rural population use clean water.

- Increase forest coverage to 48% of the total natural area of the country.

- 100% of exported products and 50% of domestically consumed goods are labeled according to ISO 14021 environmental standards.

3. Objectives until 2010:

3.1. General objectives:

Limit the increase in pollution levels, address degradation issues, and improve environmental quality; resolve basic issues of environmental degradation in industrial zones, densely populated urban areas in major cities, and some rural regions; rehabilitate and treat polluted environments along rivers, lakes, ponds, canals. Enhance the ability to prevent and mitigate negative impacts of natural disasters and adverse climate changes on the environment; effectively respond to and remedy environmental pollution caused by natural disasters. Rationally exploit and utilize natural resources, maintain high ecological balance, conserve nature, and preserve biodiversity. Proactively implement and meet environmental requirements in international economic integration, limit negative impacts of globalization on the domestic environment to promote economic growth, improve people's living standards, and ensure sustainable national development.

3.2. Specific objectives:

a) Limit the increase in pollution levels:

- 100% of new production facilities must apply clean technologies or be equipped with pollution reduction devices and waste treatment systems meeting environmental standards.

- 50% of production and business establishments obtain Environmental Standard Certification or ISO 14001 Certificate.

- 30% of households, 70% of enterprises have source waste sorting equipment, 80% of public areas have waste collection bins.

- 40% of urban areas, 70% of industrial zones, export processing zones have centralized wastewater treatment systems meeting environmental standards, collecting 90% of household, industrial, and service waste, treating over 60% of hazardous waste and 100% of medical waste.

- Strictly control chemical safety, especially highly toxic chemicals; minimize the production and use of pesticides causing environmental pollution; strengthen integrated pest management measures.

- Thoroughly address serious environmental pollution sources according to Decision No. 64/2003/QĐ-TTg dated April 22, 2003.

b) Improve environmental quality:

- Basically complete the renovation and upgrading of stormwater drainage and wastewater systems in cities and industrial zones. Strive to reach 40% of cities having separate stormwater drainage and wastewater treatment systems according to specified standards.

- Renovate 50% of canals, ponds, and river sections passing through cities that have severely degraded.

- Resolve major hotspots of dioxin contamination.

- 95% of urban population and 85% of rural population use hygienic drinking water.

- 90% of streets have greenery; double the park area in urban zones compared to 2000.

- 90% of production and business establishments meet hygiene, safety, and labor standards, and have trees within their premises.

- Achieve agricultural and aquaculture water quality standards in river basins.

c) Ensure high ecological balance:

- Restore 50% of mined areas and 40% of heavily degraded ecosystems.

- Increase forest cover to 43% of total land area, restore 50% of degraded headwater forests, and enhance forest quality; intensify scattered tree planting among the populace.

- Increase the proportion of clean energy usage to 5% of annual total energy consumption.

- Double the current area of natural conservation zones, particularly marine protected areas and wetlands.

- Restore mangrove forest area to 80% of 1990 levels.

d) Meeting environmental requirements for economic integration at the international level and limiting negative impacts from the dark side of globalization:

 - 100% genetically modified organisms intended for export shall apply the environmental management system according to ISO 14001.

- 100% genetically modified organisms imported into Vietnam shall be controlled.

- Completely eliminate the importation of hazardous waste.

4. Basic tasks and solutions:

4. 1. Basic tasks:

a) Prevention and control of pollution:

- Implementing comprehensive measures for environmental pollution prevention

- Developing national, sectoral, and local pollution control plans to prevent, address, and control sources of pollution and environmental degradation throughout the country, sectors, and localities.

- Applying advanced and environmentally friendly technologies.

- Establishing and promulgating national and sectoral environmental standards.

- Enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of waste management activities.

b) Addressing severe pollution and environmental degradation: - Thoroughly handling facilities causing severe environmental pollution in accordance with Decision No. 64/2003/QĐ-TTg dated April 22, 2003.

c) Protecting and sustainably utilizing natural resources: - Rationally exploiting, using efficiently and sustainably land and mineral resources. - Rationally exploiting, protecting, and developing water resources. - Protecting atmospheric resources.

d) Protecting and improving the environment in key areas:

- Urban areas and industrial zones.

- Coastal areas and islands.

- River basins and wetlands.

- Rural and mountainous areas.

- Natural and cultural heritage sites.

đ) Conservation of nature and biodiversity:

- Protecting and developing natural reserves and national parks.

- Developing forests and increasing vegetation coverage;

- Protecting biodiversity.

4. 2. Implementation solutions:

a) Promoting education and raising awareness and responsibility for environmental protection.

b) Strengthening state management, institutional frameworks, and laws on environmental protection.

c) Vigorously applying economic tools in environmental management.

d) Balancing the relationship between economic development and social progress, equity, and environmental protection.

đ) Increasing and diversifying investment in environmental protection.

e) Enhancing scientific research and technological development capabilities for environmental protection.

g) Promoting socialization of environmental protection work.

h) Strengthening international cooperation on environmental protection.

5. Approval of the principles of 36 priority national programs, plans, projects, and initiatives to implement the basic contents of the Strategy (detailed annex attached).

Article 2. Implementation of the Strategy:

1. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is the lead agency, responsible for coordinating with relevant ministries, sectors, and localities to organize the implementation of the Strategy; annually compiling and reporting on the implementation results to

2. The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance shall allocate budget funds from the State Budget and other sources to effectively implement the contents of the Strategy.

3. Ministries, sectors, and localities shall organize the implementation of the Strategy's contents related to their respective sectors and localities; develop and implement their own environmental protection strategies.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect fifteen days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities are responsible for implementing this Decision./.