The World Environment Day (June 5), launched by the UN Environment Programme, has been celebrated in Vietnam since 1982 and become a nationwide movement, helping raise public awareness of environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and climate change response. This year, the day is themed "Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience”. All-level Party Committees and administrations in Hoa Binh province continue to view improving awareness, restoring land, and fighting drought and desertification as an indispensable part of the socio-economic development plan and an important task during the sustainable development process.
Young people in Chieng Chau commune, Mai Chau district, clean up a road to Lac village.
According to the provincial People’s Committee, natural disasters caused losses worth over 129 billion VND (5 million USD) in Hoa Binh in 2023. In particular, prolonged and widespread heat last year resulted in water levels of many local rivers and springs falling down to below the dead level. This situation may repeat in 2024 as the province’s hydro-meteorological station forecast strong heats will continue this summer, posing risk of widespread drought and water shortage.
Pham Thi Hoa, head of the environmental protection division, said risks of land erosion, drought, and desertification have never been so obvious like at present. This year’s World Environment Day is themed "Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience” to appeal to countries around the globe to work together to restore land, fight desertification, and improve drought resilience, thus slowing down climate change, protecting the nature, and improving livelihoods and food security for billions of people worldwide.
Viewing environmental protection as a foundation, focal factor, and prerequisite for sustainable economic development, Hoa Binh is pressing on with comprehensive solutions to protect the environment and cope with climate change.
In particular, it is stepping up the implementation of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection and the document guiding the implementation of the law; the Government and the province’s programmes, resolutions, decisions, and directives on active response to climate change, environmental protection, and greenhouse gas emission reduction; measures for responding to heat, drought, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion; along with carbon credit management.
Local authorities are reviewing and monitoring the land environment quality; building and implementing plans to treat and restore polluted land areas; and devising measures for prenventing and minimising drought and desertification.
Coordination is being enhanced among all-level authorities, sectors, and localities while conditions are created for locals to access anti-drought and desertification information and techniques.
Efforts are being stepped up to protect and develop forests, efficiently use land resources, develop livelihoods for residents in desertifying areas and those at risk of desertification. Advanced solutions are also being considered and applied to efficiently use water resources and protect land surface.
Besides, Hoa Binh is working to improve public awareness. It identifies land restoration and drought and desertification prevention as an indispensable part of the socio-economic development plan and also an important task during the sustainable development process.
The province will also expand effective models of land restoration and drought and desertification prevention, especially in the areas directly affected by natural phenomena.
The piggy bank campaign has been carried out widely in Cao Phong district for years, showing efficacy in promoting education in the locality.
Lac Son district has made significant progress in promoting gender equality and women's advancement in areas such as politics, economy, labor, health care, and education.
During the two days, October 9 - 10, the Association of the Elderly of Hoa Binh province coordinated with the Help Age International in Vietnam (HAI) to organize a preliminary review and additional training for the club's Board of Directors. Ministries, the Elderly Associations at all levels, and the related parties have a club established in 2024 under the project "Supporting disadvantaged elderly through replicating Intergenerational Self-Help Clubs in Vietnam phase 2 (VIE085)”.
The organising board of the 2024 Hoa Binh technical innovation competition for youngsters and children held a ceremony on October 8 to summarise and honour winners, and launch the competition for 2025.
The local breeds like Ri chickens, black pigs, and other indigenous livestock are being prioritized for the development by many farmers in the province. This is seen as a fitting approach to harnessing the local potential and advantages, and it is bringing the tangible economic benefits.
In recent years, Cao Phong district has made continuous efforts to improve the quality of education and training (E&T), creating the significant highlights in the educational sector. With the synchronized solutions and a focus on resource investment, the district has achieved encouraging results.
