Coordination in organizing activities to respond to the Earth Hour Campaign 2024 in Vietnam

Coordination in organizing activities to respond to the Earth Hour Campaign 2024 in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

On February 26, 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Official Dispatch 1168/BCT-TKNL on coordination in organizing activities to respond to the Earth Hour Campaign 2024.

1. Coordination in organizing activities to respond to the Earth Hour Campaign 2024 in Vietnam

Earth Hour is an initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to raise public awareness about climate change and energy savings worldwide. Over the past years, the Earth Hour Campaign in Vietnam has attracted the attention and response of 63 provinces and cities and millions of people from all walks of life. The event of turning off the lights for one hour to respond to Earth Hour 2024 will take place from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2024.

To contribute to the world's common efforts, the Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends:

- People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities

+ Organize communication activities to respond to Earth Hour taking place in March to attract the attention of a large number of organizations, agencies, and people in the province and city to participate in the Campaign;

+ Integrate Earth Hour activities with the local electricity saving program to implement Directive 20/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on enhancing electricity saving in the period 2023-2025 and the following years;

+ Mobilize organizations, agencies, and people to turn off lights and unnecessary equipment during the Lights Out Event in response to Earth Hour.

- Vietnam Electricity Corporation

+ Direct the Corporation and Electricity Companies of provinces and cities to respond to the Earth Hour Campaign 2024 to disseminate propaganda at customer transaction locations and the headquarters of electricity units in March 2024;

+ Carry out activities to respond to Earth Hour combined with performing assigned tasks in Directive 20/CT-TTg;

+ Mobilize organizations, agencies, and customers to turn off lights and unnecessary equipment during the Lights Out Event in response to Earth Hour;

+ Ensure power grid safety during the event.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade hopes to receive support and coordination from the People's Committees of provinces and cities, and the Vietnam Electricity Group so that the Earth Hour Campaign 2024 can be organized successfully, practically, and actively contribute to raising people's and society's awareness about energy saving, environmental protection, and responding to climate change.

2. State policies on environmental protection in Vietnam

According to Article 5 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, the State policies on environmental protection include:

- Facilitate the involvement of agencies, organizations, residential communities, households and individuals in performance, inspection and supervision of environmental protection activities.

- Disseminate information in association with taking administrative and economic measures and other measures to strengthen compliance with law on environmental protection and build a culture of environmental protection.

- Focus on biodiversity conservation and protection of environment in natural heritage sites; efficiently and economically extract and use natural resources; develop green and renewable energy; develop technical infrastructure serving environmental protection.

- Give priority to environmental pollution elimination and recovery of degraded natural ecosystem, and attach great importance to environmental protection in residential areas.

- Diversify sources of investment capital for environmental protection; set a specific expenditure on environmental protection within the state budget and according to environmental protection requirements and tasks; prioritize the use of sources of funding for key environmental protection tasks.

- Safeguard interests of organizations, residential communities, households and individuals making their contribution to environmental protection activities; provide incentives and assistance for environmental protection activities; promote environmentally-friendly products and services.

- Intensify scientific research and development of technologies for pollution elimination, waste recycling and treatment; give priority to transfer and application of advanced, high and environmentally-friendly technologies and best available techniques; strengthen training in human resources in environmental protection.

- Honor and reward agencies, organizations, residential communities, households and individuals for their active role in environmental protection activities as prescribed by law.

- Expand and promote integration and international cooperation in environmental protection, and adhere to all international environmental agreements.

- Screen investment projects according to environmental criteria; apply appropriate environmental management tools in each stage of the strategy, planning, program and investment project.

- Incorporate and promote circular economy and green economy in formulation and implementation of socio-economic development strategies, planning, plans, programs and projects.

Nguyen Ngoc Que Anh

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