The delegates posing for photos at the conference

On October 26th, the 12th “East Asia Local and Regional Government” Congress opened in Linyi city (Shandong province, China).

The Congress attendants included leaders of provinces and cities in the East Asia region, management agencies, organizations, associations and businesses. Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh attended the Conference.

This congress is for local and regional governments to discuss common issues that their communities are facing.

At the congress, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh shared that Thua Thien Hue always considered this an important congress to discuss common issues that the communities are facing and proposed key policy measures, enhancing mutual understanding through open discussion and finding solutions to problems of mutual concern.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh shared that Thua Thien Hue highly identify with the two main topics of “Strengthening Regional Communication and Cooperation under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Cooperation Framework” and “Building a Modern Commerce and Logistics System to Promote High-Quality Economic and Social Development”.

Prioritizing green growth goals

Within the framework of the Congress, Mr. Binh attended the Conference of Mayors and Provincial Governors (2nd session) on the topic “Green growth - The key to sustainable development”.

Thua Thien Hue province has consistently prioritized the application of green economic model solutions over traditional economic models to promote the transformation of the urban economic model towards green growth, improve its competitiveness, ensure a rapid, effective and sustainable economic development in urban areas, improve people’s material and spiritual lives, and enhance the urban’s climate change resilience and response.

The Government of Vietnam identified that “by 2025, Thua Thien Hue will become a centrally-governed municipality on the basis of preserving and promoting the value of the ancient capital’s heritage and Hue cultural identity with its unique characteristics of culture, heritage, ecology, landscape, environmentally friendly and smart city”. Hence, Thua Thien Hue has focused on promoting the implementation and promulgation of orientations and policies related to green and sustainable transformation and development.

 Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh speaking at the conference

The province has well implemented a number of laws related to green growth, developed a green lifestyle combined with a beautiful traditional lifestyle to create a high quality life in harmony with nature, effectively deployed activities; such as: “All citizen build a bright - green – clean and waste-free Thua Thien Hue”, a city with 4 seasons of flowers, Green Sunday Project... Hue city was also honored as the “National Green City”.

To date, Thua Thien Hue has cooperated effectively with UNDP in researching and implementing electric/green transportation initiatives to reduce emissions in its local transportation, with JICA in Hue city water environment treatment project, with KOICA in “Building Hue City of culture and smart tourism”; with China Everbright International Limited Company on the Phu Son Waste-to-Power Plant Construction Project with a capacity of 600 tons/day...

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh highly appreciated the topic “transformation and development towards green”. This was an opportunity for Thua Thien Hue to exchange and learn valuable experiences and effective solutions from localities, especially those from countries with a priority over green growth development such as China, Japan, Korea...

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Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh said that Thua Thien Hue wishes to cooperate with localities in a number of specific contents, such as: Increasing meetings and exchanging information to raise awareness, and strongly transforming actions on green growth for leaders at all levels in State management agencies, industries, localities and businesses among all parties.

The cooperation will also promote the exchange of experiences in urban planning, synchronous development of urban infrastructure to ensure traffic, landscape, environmental sanitation and climate change resilience, smart urban development, promotion of the application of information technology and green building technology in the planning, design and construction process, and development of pilot circular economy models in waste, agriculture and construction. The parties also coordinate in climate change responding, resources managing and environment protecting in accordance with development trends in the new situation, and ensure their orientations in improving capacity to climate change response, effective and sustainable resource use, and environment protection.

“We are also promoting international cooperation, attracting foreign direct investment in green growth sectors such as clean energy, tourism, information technology, agriculture, industry, and consumption...,” emphasized Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh.

Story and photos: THO MINH