Vietnam Youth Actively Responds to Environment Protection

In fact, many activities by the people are threatening both nature and their life, for example the incautious production system, exploitation and collection of resources; properties and technologies in a number of individuals or developed countries; waste consumption, deforestation, mass use of energy sources, global warming and climate change.

 

The environment protection work in next years is said to meet many difficulties due to the world economic recession, thus requiring further efforts. Activities of environment protection need to be more various with the participation of more youngsters. The youth’s enthusiasm will be pervasive to the community, contributing to raise their awareness of the issue and to change behavior to the environment.

 

The Vietnamese government has considered the protection and improvement of environment an important task to the country’s sustainable development. Over the past years, the Vietnamese youth force has responded and carried out well movements in relation to the environment protection, creating a strong wave in the society and contributing to improve the labor, production environment across the country. 2011 has been chosen “the Year of Vietnamese Youth”. By actively attending activities as well as calling on the people to respond to environment protection, the Vietnam Youth Union has shown its determination through lots of specific activities such as joining hands with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the General Department of Environment to promote programs on mangrove forests, “green economy”, propaganda on wastes treatment in the community. The model “Environment Service Youth Cooperative “ in Hung Yen province is a typical example of such programs and needs to be expanded. Under the model, service cooperatives will organize to collect wastes right in localities at a reasonable fee. By doing so, youngsters not only get more income but also contribute to making the living environment cleaner.    

The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee of Vietnam has recently opened an Asia Pacific regional meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, embarking on the theme “Environment and Development”. The discussions focused on war consequences for which three million of Vietnamese were exposed to Agent Orange and natural disasters and earthquakes the world have suffered. The conference saw the participation of 16 youth organizations in Asia-Pacific and 11countries outside the region. At the end of the conference, WFDY members approved a Hanoi declaration on environment and development.

An Asia-Pacific regional meeting of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) has recently requested the governments to invest further into the young intelligent and technology in order to deal with environmental challenges because the youths will be the generation who faces environmental consequences. The WFDY has criticized the privatization and commercialization of natural resources; ownership of flora gene; exchange of carbonic without seeking for original solutions; particularly earning money based on environment abuse. The governments are urged to offer more policies for the poor and support natural disaster-hit people; to promote the role of youths and to be willing to cope with disasters. The victims of natural disasters who were influenced by radioactivity, loss land, property and even life, must soon receive adequate compensation.      

The WFDY, in conjunction with cooperation and consultancy of a number of organizations and regional governments, will promote some volunteer projects on environment protection this year.