Vietnam attended the 15th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on theEnvironment (IAMME) and the 10th Meeting of the Conference of theParties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution held inVientiane, Laos, on October 30-31.

TheVietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Natural Resources andEnvironment Bui Cach Tuyen made active contributions to the events whichfocused on the implementation of collaboration activities inenvironmental protection, that were outlined in a master plan buildingthe ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, as well as initiatives to enhancefuture cooperation.

Ministers hailed member states’efforts in finalising the ASEAN Peatland Forests Project in2009-2014, and implementing effectively the ASEAN Peatland ManagementSt rategy in 2006-2020 and the EU-funded Rehabilitation and SustainableUse of Peatland Forests in Southeast Asia (SEApeat) project.

Vietnam’s central imperial city of H u e was granted with theASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City title, while Da Lat resort cityin the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong receivedthe ASEAN certificate of recogniton for clean air.

The 13th ASEAN+3 Environment Ministers’ Meeting (with partners fromChina, Japan, and the Republic of Korea), and the fourth East AsiaSummit Environment Ministers’ Meeting were also held in Vientianeto discuss cooperation in the field of biodiversity, climate change,environment education and technology, and building of environmetnallysustainable cities.

Vietnam will host the 13thAMME and the 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to theASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2015.-VNA