National Assembly Administration to tackle air pollution

Participants discussing controversially

HSF

Mr. Do Manh Hung, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Office said in his opening speech that “more than half of monitored days show a poor air quality in Vietnam’s large cities”. “Taking action on this issue has to happen on different levels; raising awareness, identifying a leading agency and ensuring enforcement of existing legislation“, he commented later.

“In Germany the polluter pays”, Mr. Jörg Rüger, representative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, addressed the discussion on accountability. Mr. Rüger presented the current legislative situation on clean air in Germany and the EU after giving a short overview over the country’s development of battling pollution.

Dr. Axel Neubert, Regional Representative of HSF in Vietnam, in an interview with the national media

HSF

The country has been repeatedly named one of the most air-polluted countries in the Asia-Pacific region by the World Health Organization (WHO). With deteriorating air quality in villages that recycle waste, metal, paper, plastic and batteries and an increasing fine dust concentration three to eight times higher than allowed in urban and industrial areas the country is facing serious environment and health problems. “In many ways this topic reflects the challenge of the balancing act between developing a fast growing economy and protecting the environment”, Dr. Axel Neubert, Resident Representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, commented.

During the workshop the participants identified the urge to craft legislation and ensure that environmental and climate concern are fully considered in the process of Vietnam’s socio-economic development.