Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese youths are calling on other people to ꦡjoin hands in maintaining a clean and safe env🦄ironment, on the occasion of the International Youth Day 2020.

United Nations agencies in Vietnam and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) jointly held a ceremony in Hanoi on August 12 to mark the International Youth Day 2020, with the theme of “Vietnam we want in 2030: Youth act for clean environment”. Environmental matters are challenging Vietnam. The country ranked sixth among the nations which are the most vulnerable to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index 2020 (CRI) report released by Germanwatch – a German environmental organisation – at the 25th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Madrid, Spain. Over the last two decades, Vietnam recorded 226 extreme weather incidents, killing on average 285.80 people per year and causing annual economic losses of 2 billion USD, the report said. Environmental matters are one of the top concerns of Vietnamese people in general and the youth in particular. For a peaceful and green Vietnam for future generations, young people need to take actions to clean up the environment immediately. Over the past years, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union has paid special attention to implementing programmes and campaigns with new, creative and effective contents which have attracted the participation of many young people in environmental protection. Several outstanding programmes carried out in the recent past include tree planting festivals, the “For a green Vietnam” programme, the “Let’s clean up seas” campaign, campaigns to prevent drought and saline intrusion, activities in response to the “Anti-plastic waste” campaign, and events to mark World Environment Day, World Oceans Day, Vietnam Sea and Island Week, and the Green Sunday event. Secretary of the HCYU Central Committee and Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Committee on Youth of Vietnam Nguyen Ngoc Luong called for raising youths’ awareness of environmental protection laws, the harmful impacts of nylons and plastic waste on the environment, especially seas and oceans. The priority should be given to modern communication forms on social networks, he said, adding that attention should be paid to duplicating models on environmental protection and climate change response as well as environmentally friendly business and production models. He also called on the youth to actively participate in supervisions and inspections on environmental protection, denounce environment-related violations. Speaking at the event, Chief Representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Vietnam Michael Croft, who is Co-chair of the United Nations Youth Working Group, said today’s young people have played a special role in the global dialogue on climate change and they are making their voices heard in the most inspiring ways. Ambitions to implement national strategies on climate change effectively cannot be reached without the significant engagement of young people. The youth should get involved in all steps to ensure their voices and aspirations are put in the strategy making process so as to protect future generations, he added. Representatives from several youth groups and companies specialised in green materials offered proposals regarding climate change and sustainable development. On the occasion, UN agencies in Vietnam also introduced the UN75 Initiative – a short survey to collect opinions on people’s priorities to build a stronger and more sustainable future. Nguyen Quynh Duyen, who takes part in the event, said: “Climate change threatens our lives, our families and our future. We, young Vietnamese people, will not be passive, standing still because the impact of climate change is so clear, and we have been dealing with this problem. We are willing to participate in and do what we can to save our planet”. She expressed her hope that the youth’s ideas will be included in the Government’s policies and programmes to solve current challenges and build a future free of climate change and environment-related matters./.