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14th National Party Congress: Environmental protection – driver of sustainable development

A notable new feature in the draft documents of the 14th National Party Congress is that environmental protection is no longer treated as an auxiliary task, but increasingly regarded as a foundation for the country’s sustainable development in the coming period.
  Youth Union members collect waste along the coastline in the Phu Quoc special zone. Photo: VNA  
The draft documents for the 14th National Party Congress underscores the requirement for sustainable development based on a harmonious balance between economic growth, social progress and environmental protection, with the last identified as one of the focuses closely linked to the quality of growth and people’s living standards.

Dr Tran Van Mieu, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, said placing environmental protection at the heart of the national development strategy reflects a significant shift in development thinking, in line with both practical demands and global trend.

Mieu noted that experts and scientists working in the environmental field have clearly witnessed positive changes in the Party’s thinking and policy orientation on environmental protection and nature conservation over nearly four decades of Doi moi (renewal). This transition, though challenging, has become inevitable as environmental pollution, resource depletion and climate change increasingly pose direct threats to socio-economic development and people’s life.

A key feature of this progress is the Party’s consistent and overarching leadership. Through numerous important resolutions and directives, the Party has firmly established environmental protection, climate change response and biodiversity conservation as inseparable components of socio-economic development, moving away from the earlier mindset of trading environmental quality for economic growth.

On that basis, the State has institutionalised the Party’s guidelines through an increasingly perfect legal and policy system.

Mieu emphasised that successive versions of the Law on Environmental Protection have created an essential legal corridor, not only defining responsibilities and obligations for organisations and individuals, but also introducing incentive and support mechanisms to encourage broad social participation in environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation.

He also highlighted the clearly defined role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organisations, and social and professional associations in environmental protection as institutionalised in Party resolutions and current legislation. Mobilising the entire political system and society has helped translate policies into practice and generate widespread social momentum.

At the same time, community participation has become increasingly prominent. In both urban and rural areas, environmental protection is now a core component of efforts to build civilised cities and new-style rural areas. Communities are not only involved in practical activities such as maintaining sanitation and improving landscapes, but also gradually embracing environmental protection as an integral part of daily life.

Environment – foundation for development

From a strategic perspective, Mieu pointed to a notable new feature in the draft documents of the 14th National Party Congress: environmental protection is no longer treated as an auxiliary task, but increasingly regarded as a foundation for the country’s sustainable development in the coming period.

International experience shows that sustainable development rests on three inseparable pillars – economic, social and environmental. In this framework, the environment plays a foundational role in ensuring long-term economic growth and social stability.

In the context of deep international integration, environmental standards, green development and traceability have become mandatory requirements in many major markets. Failure to meet these standards risks undermining market access and national competitiveness, he went on.

Beyond production, environmental quality is also crucial for service sectors, particularly tourism. The goal of attracting tens of millions of international visitors annually can only be achieved if living environments, landscapes and urban and rural spaces are green, clean, beautiful and safe.

Mieu stressed that the Party and State’s commitment not to sacrifice the environment for short-term economic gains reflects the sense of responsibility towards long-term national interests and future generations.

With effective implementation of Party resolutions and the active participation of businesses, communities and the entire society, environmental protection will serve as a solid foundation for sustainable growth, prosperity and the well-being of the people on the path towards Vietnam’s development goals for 2045, according to the expert./.

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