Hanoi(VNA) – A national conference on thesocio-economic development of the northcentral and central coastal region willbe held on February 5, focusing on seeking measures to boost maritime economicgrowth for fast and sustainable development of the regions, Deputy Minister ofPlanning and Investment Tran Huy Dong said at a press briefing in Hanoi onFebruary 1.

Dong said that theconference aims to launch the Government’s action programme to implement thePolitburo’s Resolution 26-NQ/TW on the orientations for socio-economicdevelopment and security-defence protection of the region to 2030 with avision to 2045, and attract investment to the region.

According to theofficial, the conference is also designed to call for the engagement of investors,domestic and foreign business associations and partners in major investmentprojects and programmes in the region.

Deputy Minister Dong underlined that the event has a significant importance tothe development of the region which has aspecial strategic role in economy, politics, culture, society, environment,defence, security and foreign relations of the country, especially the nationalstrategy on the sustainable maritime economic development.

An investment promotion conference will be held in parallel with the event,aiming to mobilise resources for infrastructure development in the region andboost investment and business activities of the region. During the conference,an agreement on cooperation in sustainable development of the region isexpected to be signed between the Ministry of Planning and Development (MPI)and development partners, along with a number of memoranda of understanding. Investmentlicences will also be granted to domestic and foreign investors on theoccasion.

According to the MPI, in the 2005-2020 period, the region posted an annual growthof 7.3%, higher than the country’s average, with the economic scale expanding 9.1times in the 2004-2020 period.

However, DeputyMinister Dong pointed out a number of shortcomings in the region, including theineffectiveness in exploiting maritime economic development potential.

Resolution 26 was released at a hope to turn the region into an area withdynamic, fast and sustainable development, which is strong in maritime economy.

By 2045, the region is expected to post rapid and sustainable development, hostinga number of major industrial, service and international cooperation centres on par with those in Asia, with modern coastal economic zones, a smart andsustainable coastal urban system, as well as a unique identity and goodenvironmental protection.

In an action programme to implement the resolution, the Government gave eightmajor solutions, including perfecting institutions and policies and promotingthe development of regional connectivity, restructuring the regional economy, withgreater attention on the development of the marine economy; boosting the growthof the urban system, especially the coastal urban system; and stepping upinvestment in regional socio-economic infrastructure, especially transportinfrastructure.

It also underlined theneed to effectively manage and exploit natural resources, especially maritime andforest resources, protect the environment, and improve resilience against natural disasters the adaptation to climatechange.

The programme includes34 specific tasks and 11 transport infrastructure projects./.