Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s participation in ASEANcooperation in the environment has clearly demonstrated the country’sproactive, active and responsible integration into the world.

General Director of the Vietnam EnvironmentAdministration Nguyen Van Tai made the remark at a workshop on January 6reviewing 20 years of Vietnam’s engagement in the ASEAN environmentalcooperation.

The country, which became a member of ASEAN in 1995,began participating in the bloc’s environmental cooperation in 1996.

Since its foundation, the Vietnam office of theASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) has actively taken part inall spheres of environmental cooperation such as biodiversity, climate change,chemicals and waste, marine environment and coastal zone, environmentaltechnology, environmental education, trans-boundary haze pollution control,water resources management, and sustainable production and consumption.

For over 20 years, Vietnam has establisheditself in different fields of cooperation, including environment, Tai said,noting that through ASEAN cooperation, countries in the region and the worldhave gained a better understanding of Vietnam’s foreign policy and Doi moi(renewal) attainments.

At the same time, the country has also had chancesto exchange experience, access scientific and technological advances, improveits capacity and proactively suggest initiatives in order to promote win-wincooperation, he added.

As ASEAN is building and implementing thetargets of the ASEAN Community by 2025 across the three pillars ofpolitics-security, economy and culture-society, cooperation within ASEAN andbetween the bloc and its partners will be further expanded. 

Therefore, Vietnam should timely graspopportunities to improve capacity, contribute more to the ASEAN Community andrealise the Sustainable Development Goals, the official said.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Tram from the ASOEN office inVietnam said the scope of environmental cooperation is very large, and aflexible mechanism is necessary to mobilise all domestic resources toeffectively participate in environmental cooperation activities in ASEAN.Strategic solutions also need to be carried out to capitalise on advantages andopportunities and tackle difficulties.

She said the country should proactively designand propose initiatives that can benefit the region and itself while enhancingcommunication activities to raise public awareness of regional cooperation inthe environment.-VNA