Directive 31/CT-TTg 2021 on renewing and stepping up the implementation of the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy through 2030, with a vision toward 2045

DIRECTIVE

On renewing and stepping up the implementation of the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy through 2030, with a vision toward 2045^[1]

On October 22, 2018, the Party Central Committee of the XII^th Congress adopted Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW on the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy through 2030, with a vision toward 2045 (below referred to as Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW), which requires changing the mindset and growth model in order to turn Vietnam into a strong marine country, and make the marine economy, maritime zones and coastal zones a driving force for national development, and at the same time put forward solutions to sustainably use natural resources and protect the marine and island environment.

The preliminary evaluation of 3 years’ implementation of the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy through 2030, with a vision toward 2045 (below referred to as the Strategy), showed that ministries, sectors and localities have exerted their best efforts to perform their assigned tasks and recorded a number of recognizable initial results. Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW has been profoundly understood and widely disseminated. The implementation of the Resolution’s major policies has been stepped up and recorded initial positive results, particularly in the development of such marine economic sectors as sea-based tourism and services, maritime economy, exploitation of oil and gas and other marine mineral resources, marine aquaculture and fishing, renewable energy and new sea-based industries; initial establishment of coastal economic zones, industrial parks and eco-urban centers; development of maritime zones based on strengths of natural conditions; environmental protection and conservation and sustainable development of biodiversity; active response to climate change, sea level rise and natural disaster prevention and control; assurance of national defense and security, foreign relations and international cooperation on seas and oceans.

However, international, regional and domestic socio-economic situations have seen unexpected changes. Complex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and potential risks of the East Sea situation have affected the country’s socio-economic development as well as activities of marine economic sectors and coastal localities. They are objective factors affecting the implementation of Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW. In the meantime, there exist a number of subjective reasons for slow implementation of Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW, including incomplete and inconsistent legal system, mechanisms and policies for regulation of sustainable development of marine economy; incomplete intersectoral coordination mechanism for sustainable development of marine economy that has operated ineffectively and not yet been brought into full play; limited human, financial, and science and technology resources for realization of policies, solutions and breakthroughs set forth in Resolution No. 36-NQ-TW; and the lack of a system of statistical indicators for marine economic sectors for use as a basis for the management and administration by the Government, ministries and sectors.

The above reality necessitates the renewal and intensification of implementation of the Strategy. Accordingly, the Prime Minister provides the following instructions:

1. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, and People’s Committees of coastal provinces and centrally run cities shall further exert their best efforts in an innovative and creative manner, show strong determination, take drastic, effective and focused actions, properly handle wrongdoings, and fulfill as soon as possible their assigned tasks. Given limited resources, it is necessary to select and identify priority projects for focused investment so as to create a real impetus for sustainable development of marine economy; further effectively promote investment in the form of public-private partnership in order to mobilize all social resources for development of marine economy in general and marine and coastal infrastructure facilities in particular; base themselves on practical requirements to revise current policies to find policies and regulations that inhibit resources for sustainable development of marine economy before submitting them to the National Assembly, Government, Prime Minister or ministries for approval; intensify the application of information technology, rapidly implement digital transformation in marine economic sectors. Coastal localities shall uphold the spirit of “self-reliance” (relying on internal resources) and take advantage of “external resources” for development, regard enterprises as the center and encourage the establishment and development of large economic groups for investing in marine economic sectors, particularly the six sectors specified in Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW as key ones with potential, strengths and a large fiscal space for creating a driving force for socio-economic development.

2. Related agencies shall continue their profound understanding and comprehensive perception of the contents, step up synchronous implementation of breakthrough and major solutions to sustainably develop marine economy put forward in Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW; step up the performance of tasks related to the overall plan and 5-year plan on implementation of Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW (focusing on 42 schemes,  projects and tasks through 2025) as assigned by the Prime Minister under the Government’s Resolution No. 26/NQ-CP of March 5, 2020; at the same time review promulgated programs and plans of action to keep them suitable to the new situation and spirit of the Resolution of the XIII^th National Party Congress. Provincial-level departments, ministries, sectors and localities shall focus on performing tasks aimed to materialize three breakthroughs set forth in Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW (institutions; science-technology and human resources; and infrastructure facilities), thereby making changes and creating impetus for the implementation of the Strategy, specifically as follows:

a/ The National Steering Committee for implementation of the Strategy (below referred to as the National Steering Committee)

To enhance its role in inter-sectoral unified direction regarding contents relating to the implementation of Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW and Resolution No. 26/NQ-CP so as to address existing shortcomings of the sectoral management; to provide guidance and promulgate regulations on mechanisms for inter-sectoral coordination which clearly define each sector’s responsibilities and competence for sustainable development of marine economy, integrated management of marine and island resources and protection of the marine and island environment; to provide guidance and promulgate documents guiding the evaluation of sustainable development of marine economy to serve as a basis for supervision and evaluation of the implementation of these Resolutions; to direct coastal provinces and centrally run cities to form and organize effective operation of the Steering Committees for implementation of the Strategy in localities.

b/ Ministries and sectors

- The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, as the standing body of the National Steering Committee, shall:

Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, rapidly performing the task of formulating a master plan on national marine space, and an overall plan on exploitation and sustainable use of resources in coastal zones, ensuring quality and keeping up with the approved schedule.

Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, intensifying the baseline survey of marine and island resources and environment so as to meet the requirements of sustainable development of marine economy, assurance of national defense and security, foreign relations, and international cooperation; develop, update and standardize data and unify the management and use of the national database system on marine and island resources and environment; concentrate efforts on building and developing a fleet of seagoing ships for marine survey, exploration and research; and study the institutionalization of the baseline survey of marine and island resources and environment.

To set up and operate the Fund for promotion of sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy with the participation of domestic economic sectors and international partners.

To design incentive policies for sustainable development of marine economy for submission to the Government.

- The Ministry of Science and Technology shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and related ministries, sectors and localities in, formulating and effectively implementing the national-level scientific and technological program on seas and islands; a scheme on scientific research and technological development based on orientations for baseline survey of marine and island resources and environment in the context of emerging challenges to the marine environment security; and the program on development of basic sciences in the field of marine sciences through 2025.

- The Ministry of Transport shall:

Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, formulating and issuing, or submitting to competent authorities for issuance, and directing the implementation of, policies on development of transport infrastructure facilities and road, railway, maritime, inland waterway and airway transport serving the development of marine economy; propose to the National Steering Committee the application of the public-private partnership form in the performance of marine economy development tasks.

Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, building roads connecting seaports with regions and localities in Vietnam and regional countries to serve sustainable development of marine economy,  focusing on planned coastal road routes.

- The Ministry of Construction shall:

Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, submitting to the Government or Prime Minister strategies, master plans and plans on development of coastal urban centers and eco-urban centers together with the formation of strong marine economic centers; and build and develop technical infrastructure facilities for coastal and island urban centers.

To build and effectively implement a scheme on building and development of a number of modern ecological, green-growth and smart coastal urban centers and areas associated with sustainable tourism development and adaptation to climate change.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, effectively implementing overall plans and detailed plans on development of the system of marine reserves and aquatic resource protection zones; build a number of essential infrastructure facilities to support the operation of management boards of marine reserves.

- The Ministry of Information and Communications shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, directing telecommunications businesses in expanding 4G and 5G coverage in coastal zones and islands; coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in implementing digital transformation for the natural resource and environment management systems, and responding to climate change in coastal zones and islands; promote the development of digital technology enterprises in order to build digital platform ecosystems and digital solutions serving the marine economy; and coordinate with relevant agencies in building grassroots information systems in maritime zones and islands with the application of information and telecommunications technology.

- The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall formulate and effectively implement a scheme on training and development of human resources at all levels of vocational education, particularly high-qualification vocational training and training for change of occupations for people in coastal zones so as to serve sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy.

- The Ministry of Education and Training shall formulate mechanisms and policies for attracting talents; step by step form a contingent of international-standard managers, scientists and experts with in-depth marine and oceanic knowledge; support the training quality improvement, and develop a network of marine human resource training institutions at the regional advance level.

- The Ministry of Home Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in, strengthening the organizational apparatuses of agencies at the central level and in coastal localities that are in charge of integrated and unified management of seas and islands under Resolution No. 26/NQ-CP; coordinate with ministries and sectors in reviewing and adjusting their functions, tasks and working relationship to suit the new situation in the direction that an agency may perform different tasks but one task may be assigned to only one agency so as to avoid overlaps in the assignment of tasks to among agencies.

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall:

Concentrating funding sources on, and study and advise competent authorities on the creation of a separate funding channel or a separate program (similar to the East Sea - Islands Program) in order to roll out the implementation of major schemes, projects and tasks with a view to achieving the objectives set forth in Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW and No. 26/NQ-CP, and prioritize funding for projects on baseline survey of marine and island resources in accordance with law.

Develop a system of national statistical indicators on seas and islands and a set of indicators for evaluation of a strong marine nation; and develop the system of statistical indicators for marine economic sectors.

Advise the Government or Prime Minister on providing capital incentives and formulating mechanisms and policies to encourage economic sectors to invest in the 6 marine economic sectors specified in Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW.

- The Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, related ministries and central agencies in, proposing competent authorities to allocate the annual state budget funds to cover regular expenditures for implementation of schemes, projects and tasks to achieve the objectives set forth in Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW and Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW.

- The ministries managing the 6 marine economic sectors, including sea-based tourism and services, maritime economy, exploitation of oil and gas and other marine mineral resources, marine aquaculture and fishing, coastal industries, renewable energy and new sea-based industries, shall rapidly formulate sectoral master plans to be incorporated in a master plan on national marine space.

c/ Coastal localities shall:

- Establish their steering committees for implementation of the Strategy (if not yet available),  build more physical foundations and improve capacity for provincial-level Departments of Natural Resources and Environment to perform integrated and unified state management of seas and islands, formulate and effectively implement local programs/plans on sustainable development of marine economy.

- Promptly formulate and finalize local planning tasks, ensuring that local master plans focus on sustainable development of marine economy and enhancement of regional linkages and are incorporated in regional and national master plans; closely and effectively coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in formulating a master plan on national marine space and an overall plan on exploitation and sustainable use of resources in coastal zones.

- Prioritize effective use of resources, including social resources for implementing programs, projects and tasks in furtherance of Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW and Resolution No. 26/NQ-CP; in the coming time, focus on speeding up the completion of inter-connected technical infrastructure facilities and improving social infrastructure facilities so as to create a foundation for the marine economic development; to call for, promote and attract investment in large-scale, hi-tech, and environmentally friendly projects.

- Provincial-level People’s Committees shall submit to same-level People’s Councils the allocation of local budget funds for performance of tasks assigned to localities under Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW and Resolution No. 26/NQ-CP according to the budget management decentralization, work out plans to mobilize other lawful financial sources for sustainable development of marine economy.

3. Organization of implementation

a/ Ministers, heads of ministerial-level  agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, chairpersons of People’s Committees of coastal provinces and centrally run cities and related organizations and individuals shall implement this Directive.

b/ The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, ministerial-level agencies and localities in, monitoring and summarizing results of the performance of tasks set forth in this Directive and sending annual reports thereon to the Prime Minister.-

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
LE VAN THANH