Green public procurement will bring many benefits to not only buyers and sellers but also the environment and the whole economy and society (Illustrative photo: baodauthau.vn)Hanoi (VNA) – Green public procurementwill bring many benefits to not only buyers and sellers but also theenvironment and the whole economy and society, said Deputy Director General ofthe Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) Hoang Van Thuc said.
He made the remark at a workshop on April 5which discussed challenges and opportunities of green public procurement inVietnam.
A 2015 report of the VEA under the Ministry ofNatural Resources and Environment shows that the State spends 20 – 30 percentof its budget on public procurement every year on average. This figure couldreach 50 percent if it includes spending on the building work.
Amid economic restructuring towards sustainabledevelopment, sustainable procurement will considerably contribute to theattainment of the sustainable development goals, including improving productionquality, effectively and sustainably using natural resources, and ensuringsecurity and social equality.
Kim Yong Jin, Director of the Republic ofKorea’s Environmental Industry and Technology Institute, said Vietnam is adeveloping Asian-Pacific economy with a growth rate of 5 – 7 percent in thelast 10 years.
Realising the problems of traditional modes ofeconomic growth, Vietnam announced a green growth strategy and is building aroad map for implementing green public procurement until 2020.
He added as public procurement could beequivalent to 12 – 30 percent of the country’s GDP, the procurement ofenvironmentally friendly products will help reduce pollution and promote greenproduction and sustainable consumption.
However, Deputy Director General Thuc alsopointed to hindrances to green public procurement, including the inconsistency oflegal documents which has led to State agencies’ lax coordination, the limitedawareness and capacity of procurement officials, and the shortage of guidanceon integrating sustainability criteria into the bidding process.
Notably, awareness of the positive impacts ofsustainable public procurement among State agencies and procurement officialsremains modest, he noted.
He underscored the importance of trainingcourses for these officials, adding that it is a priority in the VEA’scooperation with the Korean institute. The countries’ sharing of informationabout and experience in this field will be helpful for carrying out greenpublic procurement in Vietnam.-VNA
He made the remark at a workshop on April 5which discussed challenges and opportunities of green public procurement inVietnam.
A 2015 report of the VEA under the Ministry ofNatural Resources and Environment shows that the State spends 20 – 30 percentof its budget on public procurement every year on average. This figure couldreach 50 percent if it includes spending on the building work.
Amid economic restructuring towards sustainabledevelopment, sustainable procurement will considerably contribute to theattainment of the sustainable development goals, including improving productionquality, effectively and sustainably using natural resources, and ensuringsecurity and social equality.
Kim Yong Jin, Director of the Republic ofKorea’s Environmental Industry and Technology Institute, said Vietnam is adeveloping Asian-Pacific economy with a growth rate of 5 – 7 percent in thelast 10 years.
Realising the problems of traditional modes ofeconomic growth, Vietnam announced a green growth strategy and is building aroad map for implementing green public procurement until 2020.
He added as public procurement could beequivalent to 12 – 30 percent of the country’s GDP, the procurement ofenvironmentally friendly products will help reduce pollution and promote greenproduction and sustainable consumption.
However, Deputy Director General Thuc alsopointed to hindrances to green public procurement, including the inconsistency oflegal documents which has led to State agencies’ lax coordination, the limitedawareness and capacity of procurement officials, and the shortage of guidanceon integrating sustainability criteria into the bidding process.
Notably, awareness of the positive impacts ofsustainable public procurement among State agencies and procurement officialsremains modest, he noted.
He underscored the importance of trainingcourses for these officials, adding that it is a priority in the VEA’scooperation with the Korean institute. The countries’ sharing of informationabout and experience in this field will be helpful for carrying out greenpublic procurement in Vietnam.-VNA
VNA
