Environment issues in investment planning
Ha Noi, Feb. 27 (VNA) -- The results and recommendations of a project that makes the environment part of investment planning were assessed at a seminar held in Ha Noi on Feb. 27 and 28 by the Planning and Investment Ministry.
The seminar was designed to introduce and collect opinions for the renovation of planning policies; assess environmental impact on planning and investment projects and examine environmental methods for analysing economy and the environment; environmental issues in planning as well as environmental improvement programmes.
The "Environmental Issues in Investment Planning" project has been carried out in Ha Noi, central highlands Lam Dong province and northern border Quang Ninh province since 1995. It was done in two phases.
The first was implemented between 1995 and 1997 with USD 1.2 million from the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, and other international organizations.
It focused on building the national capacity for assessing the environment, strengthening the centre's capacity to incorporate environmental considerations into policy and decision-making and raising awareness of sustainable development issues among economic planners and decision-makers.
The second phase, 1998 to mid-2001, was done with USD 3.5 million from the UNDP and the Swiss Development Cooperation Agency, SDCA. Its purpose was to adjust policies and institutional frameworks to allow environmentally sound investment decision and facilitate the incorporation of environmental protection in investment decisions.
Representatives from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, the UNDP, the SDCA and other international organizations attended the seminar.--VNA
