Vietnam Province to Host World Environment Day Celebration
A national meeting to celebrate World Environment Day on June 5 is scheduled to be held in Vietnam’s northern mountainous province of Lao Cai. This was announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on Apr 20. The event is expected to help raise public awareness on the need to manage and appropriately use natural resources in connection with environmental protection and sustainable development. Over the past few years, Lao Cai Province has undertaken many activities to manage and protect natural resources and the environment. The province has much experience in organizing important events. World Environment Day aims to inspire more people around the world than ever before to take action to prevent the strain on planet Earth’s natural systems from reaching breaking point. This year’s theme is based on the fight against the illegal trade in wildlife, which erodes our precious biodiversity and threatens the survival of awe-inspiring species, such as elephants, rhinos and tigers, as well as other creatures that are less celebrated. It also undermines our economies, communities and security, according to the United Nations Environment Program. Lao Cai is considered an ideal location for this year’s event, with the theme “Wildlife Trafficking Prevention”, which is aimed at encouraging the community to take part in protecting all kinds of wildlife that are being threatened and face the risk of extinction. Last year, a national meeting in response to World Environment Day was held in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, under the theme “Responsible Consumption For A Sustainable Earth,” to call on every person, every nation and every territory to join hands in protecting the Earth through practical measures in production and consumption. World Environment Day is an important international event organized every year by the UN Environment Program. Vietnam began celebrating the day in 1982. The country has undertaken many activities to contribute to raising public awareness on environment protection and sustainable development. (Vietnam News Apr 20)