THE National-Level Environmental Conservation and Climate Change Central Committee held its ninth coordination meeting at the Forest Department in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning, where the committee’s patron Vice President U Myint Swe delivered a speech.
In his speech, the Vice President said the central committee was formed with 25 members and assigned 26 tasks on 2 June, 2016. It was reformed with 28 members on 6 September, 2019. The central committee formed 6 working committees and the supervising committees of Nay Pyi Taw Council and the states/regions to assist in implementing its directives.
The Vice President said 8 coordination meetings have been held and 104 decisions made in the three and a half years since its formation and has accomplished 57 of those decisions while 47 decisions are in the implementing process with 15 would take a longer term. He urged everyone to cooperate to accomplish the remaining processes quickly as doing so will bring the benefits that much quicker as well.
The Vice President said some of the committee’s remarkable achievements include producing the National Environmental Policy, Myanmar Climate Change Policy, Myanmar Climate Change Strategy (2018-2030), and Myanmar Climate Change Action Plan (2018- 2030). He said these will serve as fundamental guidelines and framework for implementing the Myanmar Sustainable Development Project.
The Vice President said the Office of the Union Government has approved the National Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan (2018-2030) to implement a waste management system that reduces waste production, recycles and repurposes them.
He said they were also working on the National Green Business Development Strategic Framework in order to better manage negative side effects generated from businesses that extract natural resources, to ensure these businesses have sustainable finance, and to raise the skills of civil servants involved in the process.
The Vice President urged all relevant ministries and sub-national committees to draw up action plans for the 2020-2021 FY regarding the climate change and waste management strategies so as to ensure the long-term environmental conservation goal stays on track.
He said public awareness campaigns and capacity building initiatives must be continuously conducted to ensure the public and private businesses are involved in environmental conservation. He also said relevant government departments and supervising committees should always evaluate whether there is adherence to environmental conservation rules and regulations and to take proper action for non-compliance.
The Vice President said the deadline for drafting the environmental management programme for industrial businesses, a topic under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation’s priority industrial sector (9), has been extended to 29 January, 2020. Thus, the Nay Pyi Taw Council and the state/regional governments should work together with relevant ministries to aid the industrial businesses in their region to finalize their environmental management programme in time.
The Vice President said we need to continually monitor the global environmental conservation issues and climate change situation so as to respond to them effectively and accordingly. He said there are already policies and frameworks to tackle the two major global issues of climate change and marine pollution, including plastic pollution. He said they should be paired with the policies and strategies mentioned earlier.
He then concluded his speech by urging attendees to work together to hasten all ongoing processes, ensure effective implementation and provide assistance and guidance where needed.
Next, Central Committee Secretary and Director-General of the Environmental Conservation Department U Hla Maung Thein explained the progress of implementing decisions of the previous meeting, the progress of the working committees’ actions and future plans.
Following this, central committee member Deputy Minister Dr Ye Myint Swe explained the implementation process of the climate change policy, strategy and action plan, and the implementation progress of the Global Geopark.
Next, Deputy Attorney-General U Win Myint explained the enactment of national environmental conservation and climate change laws and bylaws and future plans.
Attendees then discussed matters related to their as-signed duties and responsibilities to which the Vice President, Deputy Minister, Deputy Attorney-General and other officials responded.
Afterwards, U Hla Maung Thein submitted the 17 decisions produced by the meeting, which were approved, and the Vice President delivered the closing speech.
Present at the meeting were central committee members Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Dr Ye Myint Swe and Deputy Attorney-General U Win Myint and other members, the chairpersons of Nay Pyi Taw, State/Regional-Level Environmental Conservation and Climate Change Supervising Committees including Nay Pyi Taw Council member U Tin Tun and state/regional ministers, officials of the 6 working committees, permanent secretaries, directors-general, representatives from NGOs, CSOs and private businesses, department heads and other officials.
MNA
(Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)
PHOTO: MNA
Ref; The Galobal New Light Of Myanmar