Hanoi (VNA) –♕ Policy makers from ASEAN and its three partners of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) discussed how to ensure sustainable production and consumption (SPC) through sustainable value chains at a programme that opened in Hanoi on October 25.

The programme aims to enhance knowledge and skills of the policy makers, focusing on policy making and enforcement, to achieve key targets related to SPC. Participants discussed issues critical for the development of more sustainable consumption and production systems through sustainable value chains, particularly policy and decision making tools that enable various forms of support to ensure SPC in priority sectors. Collective lessons and innovations were facilitated through case study to engage participants in analysing, understanding, synthesising and generating policy options. Nguyen Viet Dung from the Vietnam Environment Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said Vietnam has, together with other ASEAN member countries, constructively contributed to initiatives and actions to actualising SPC programmes. The Vietnamese Government has launched the national strategy on green growth, the national action plan on SPC by 2020 with a vision towards 2030 and the action plan on green economy. The Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, and Industry and Trade have also issued a range of documents regarding SPC, he said. Dung suggested taking communication solutions to raise awareness of leaders, managers, policy makers and consumers of SPC, apart from policy, technology and mechanism solutions as well as incentives for businesses.-VNA