This article was originally published on UN-REDD Programme.
“The situation of forests in Viet Nam is rather unique. The country significantly increased its overall forest cover from 27% in 1993 to 41% in 2016. The less bright side of things is that, in parallel, natural forests remained threatened, degraded and depleted – and with them, the living conditions for millions of Viet Namese people, as well as the wellbeing of plants, animals and humans alike. The country’s Government decided to take strong action to correct this, and has recently approved two significant Decisions aimed at increasing the size and quality of forests and combatting climate change. Viet Nam aims to expand forest cover to 42% of the country surface, to reach 14.4 million hectares by 2020. But there’s more than replanting trees involved.
…With support from the UN-REDD Programme, underpinned by Norway’s support, the Government of Viet Nam has made strong progress in the past year on the national forest policy agenda. Two key landmark decisions reflect this development:
Firstly, Directive 13 was issued in January 2017 directly by the Central Committee – the highest authority within the Communist Party. The aim is to increase the Party’s leadership in forest management, protection and development, while mobilizing government agencies, businesses and civil society at all levels to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of forest protection and development in Viet Nam. Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ha Cong Tuan confirms the Decision “demonstrates the high political will of our entire political system.” He emphasized the importance this approval shows: “We have never had this at such high level before.”
Secondly, the country’s National REDD+ Action Programme (NRAP) was approved by the Prime Minister in April 2017. In practice, it offers a timely gateway to mobilize all relevant sectors and stakeholders, and trigger the required collaboration. Deputy Head of the Agriculture Department of the Government Office, the Prime Minister’s Office in Viet Nam, Dr. Vo Dinh Tuyen agreed that approving the Decision “truly reflects the high commitment of the Prime Minister and Government of Viet Nam as a whole in implementing the country’s commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.”…”
Read on at: UN-REDD Programme.
