Religious groups have proactively joined hands in environmental protection and response to climate change, heard a national conference held in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on October 14-15.
They have engaged in a coordination programme signed with the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in 2015 to promote the role of religious groups in protecting the environment during 2015-2020.
The groups have issued documents, messages, programmes and plans calling their followers to actively participate in environmental protection and climate change response campaigns. Dignitaries have enhanced communication work to raise followers’ awareness of environmental protection during festivals, religious practices, and training courses, among others.
To date, more than 1,000 piloted environmental protection models have been set up by religions with the support of the VFF and the environment ministry to mitigate damage caused by natural disasters.
At the conference, Vice Chairman of the VFF Central Committee Ngô Sách Thực laid stress on the importance of the Party, State and people’s engagement in environmental protection work, saying the coordination programme has achieved positive results and created a radical change in awareness of organisations and people from all walks of life.
As the programme still shows its limitation, the conference, which had plenary and discussion sessions, would focus on orientation, plans and commitments of the religious groups to promote the coordination programme, he added.
According to Thực, after four-year implementation of the progamme, all 63 localities nationwide have signed the programmes with the VFF, and local natural resources and environment sectors and religious groups./.
Source: en.vietnamplus.vn
