Mr. Vo Tuan Nhan, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment;

Ambassadors, counsellors, and senior representatives of government departments, development partners, enterprises, and organizations;

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen;

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon and xin chao.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate the Government of Viet Nam, and particularly MONRE, for the promulgation of the Strategy for the Sustainable Exploitation and Use of Natural Resources and Protection of the Marine and Island Environment to 2030 with a Vision to 2050.  The Strategy reaffirms the government’s commitment for green growth, biodiversity conservation, marine environment protection, and a society in harmony with nature. We at UNDP welcome this important step forward in developing solutions that will benefit both the ocean and the people of Viet Nam, and at the same time to protect our planet.

With the advantage of a long coastline of more than 3,260 km, opening in all three directions to the East, South and Southwest, Vietnam's coastal area has great potential for marine economic development, especially in the maritime, seafood and industrial sectors, oil and gas industry, tourism and renewable energy. New development is increasingly occurring in the seas and islands that threatened the health and ecological well-being of the coastal and marine ecosystems. Climate change, sea level rise, marine plastic pollution, ecosystem and biodiversity degradation etc. are major challenges for sustainable ocean development.

A lot has already been done to address the problem. The Party and the Government have promulgated several key policies supporting the sustainable development of the marine economy such as the Resolution 36, National Action Plan on Marine Plastic Litter, and today, we are launching a new Strategy for the Sustainable Exploitation and Use of Natural Resources and Protection of the Marine and Island.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Following the introduction of the Strategy, I would like to highlight four recommendations from UNDP as moving forward:

Firstly, after the adoption of the Strategy, the Government needs to accelerate the formulation and approval of the marine spatial planning (MSP), which is essential for unlocking the tremendous potential of sustainable ocean economy. UNDP and Norway are honoured to support and be part the MSP process.

Secondly, Viet Nam’s seas and islands are currently being used by many different sectors with limited coordination. Enhanced governance and coordination across the various marine sectors (tourism, marine transport, fisheries, industry and exploration, energy development, planning and investment and environment) are very important for successful implementation of the Strategy, as well as other important policies on seas and islands.

Finally, international support in terms of know-how, technology transfer, and sustainable finance will be essential for catalysing change, and is also one of the primary targets of Resolution 48. We recommend Viet Nam to draw on the experience of other countries and development partners as it moves forward in the implementation of the Strategy, especially given that many marine resources transcend national boundaries and will require international cooperation to effectively manage in the long term.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to MONRE and VASI for your great cooperation in the continuing work to ensure the long-term sustainability and prosperity of Viet Nam’s seas and islands. I am also very grateful to our development partners, including the World Bank, Norway, Denmark, the EU, and GIZ and many others for your invaluable collaboration and support.

Thank you all very much.

Xin Cam on!