Deputy head of the Vietnam Environment Administration’s Biodiversity Conservation Agency and head of Vietnam’s ASEAN working group on biodiversity preservation, Hoang Thi Thanh Nhan, made the statement while attending the 22nd Meeting of the Governing Board of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), held via video conferencing on November 18.

The event drew the participation of representatives from ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretariat and the ACB, as well as ASEAN’s development partners in the field of biodiversity preservation, such as the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam and the German development cooperation agency (GIZ).

Nhan said that as ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam wants to promote commitments on biodiversity preservation and ecosystem restoration in Southeast Asia.

She placed emphasis on the importance of cooperation within the bloc as well as with countries and development partners to realise targets in the ASEAN cooperation strategy on the environment, the action plan of the ASEAN working group on nature preservation and biodiversity, and other regional initiatives.

Biodiversity has helped Vietnam and other ASEAN member states ensure food security and livelihoods, maintain valuable genetic sources, and provide materials for construction, among others.

Nhan said Vietnam has signed various international treaties on biodiversity, like the Ramsar Convention, the CITES treaty, the Climate Change Convention, and the UN’s Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is preparing a national action strategy on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the 2020-2030 period, she added.

According to the UN’s 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history. Biodiversity loss coupled with climate change is threatening the world’s sustainable development. In this context, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2020-2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration./.VNA