Directive No. 52/2001/CT-BNN/KL on enhancing efforts to build and implement community forest protection and development conventions in village communities.

DIRECTIVE

On strengthening the work of building and implementing community forest protection and development conventions in village communities

Village, hamlet, commune, ward, and precinct communities

Implementing Decree No. 29/1998/NĐ-CP dated May 11, 1998 of the Government on issuing regulations for realizing democracy at the commune level and the Party and State's policy on socializing forest protection and development work, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Circular No. 56/1999/BNN-KL dated May 30, 1999 guiding the construction of community forest protection and development conventions in village, hamlet, commune, ward, and precinct communities (hereinafter referred to collectively as village communities). In recent years, forestry inspection forces in most provinces and centrally governed cities have closely cooperated with related units to organize and guide village communities in constructing and implementing forest protection and development conventions, achieving positive results in forest protection and development work.

To further promote the implementation of the policy of socializing forest protection and development work linked with implementing grassroots democratic regulations throughout society, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development instructs the Departments

of Agriculture and Rural Development and forestry inspection forces in provinces and centrally governed cities to implement the following measures:

1. Continue to coordinate with related units to publicize laws on forest protection and development among the people, linking it with the implementation of grassroots democratic regulations; guide the procedures, contents, forms, and completion of community forest protection and development conventions in village communities nationwide with forests by the year 2001.

2. Community forest protection and development conventions must meet the following main requirements:

a) The convention must be agreed upon voluntarily by the majority or all people in the community who build and commit to implementing it; ensure the principle of centralized democracy, not impose, and ensure unity to resolve forest protection and development matters within the community.

b) The content of the convention must ensure social order, safety, and environmental hygiene; build new lifestyles, mutual assistance; preserve and promote good traditions and customs of the community, promote local good practices, strictly prohibit the inclusion of superstitious beliefs in the convention.

c) Regulations in the forest protection and development convention must be clear, understandable, executable, and consistent with current laws.

d) Each clause of the convention must be approved at a general meeting of the people or a representative meeting of families in the village community, and must be approved by at least two-thirds of the attendees. Afterward, the Chairman of the People's Council of the commune reviews and submits to the Chairman of the People's Committee of the district for approval to implement.

3. Annually, Forestry Inspection Bureaus in provinces and centrally governed cities organize mid-year reviews of the construction and implementation of forest protection and development conventions in their areas, identify measures to enhance achieved results, and promptly amend and supplement provisions in the convention that are inconsistent to improve implementation effectiveness.

Every six months and annually, Forestry Inspection Bureaus in provinces and centrally governed cities report on the implementation of this directive to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; the Forest Protection Bureau is responsible for compiling the results of implementation nationwide, reporting to the Ministry Leadership for review and guidance.

Specifically, for the mid-term review of two years (1999-2001) of the construction and implementation of conventions at the local level, Forestry Inspection Bureaus in provinces and centrally governed cities advise the Provincial People's Committees to organize in the third quarter of 2001 and report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Forest Protection Bureau) before October 1, 2001.

Funding for this work shall be implemented according to current state regulations; Forestry Inspection Bureaus prepare budget estimates together with annual local government budgets.

This directive takes effect 15 days from the date of signature.

Any difficulties encountered during implementation should be reported by Forestry Inspection Bureaus to the Provincial People's Committees and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration and resolution.