Resolution No. 76/NQ-CP dated June 18, 2018 of the Government on natural disaster prevention and fighting

RESOLUTION

On natural disaster prevention and fighting

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No.138/2016/ND-CP of October 1, 2016, promulgating the Working Regulations of the Government;

Based on the results of the March 29, 2018 national conference on natural disaster prevention and fighting, voted by the Government members,

RESOLVES:

Natural disasters develop in a more and more complicated and unforeseeable manner, constituting a big challenge to the sustainable national development. Over the recent 20 years, our country has confronted almost all kinds of natural disasters (excluding tidal waves), which caused heavy losses in human lives, property and infrastructures, adversely affecting the living environment and production of people (with the estimated annual loss of 1.0- 1.5% GDP). Especially in 2017, natural disasters appeared repeatedly and abnormally with various records in different kinds of natural disasters such as cold spells, hot spells, torrential rains and floods, storms, flesh floods, landslides.

The Party and the State has attached importance to natural disaster prevention and fighting, incrementally completing the system of legal documents to create a legal corridor for higher state management effect and efficacy; organizationally consolidating the central apparatus; intensifying the natural disaster forecasting and warning activities; improving the natural disaster prevention and fighting infrastructures and facilities; applying scientific and technological achievements to directing and commanding the advisory forces to cope with and redress consequences of natural disasters with better results, thus creating the stability and confidence among people, as acknowledged and highly appreciated by international community.

However, the natural disaster prevention and fighting activities remain hamstrung with numerous limitations and shortcomings: administrations and inhabitants in a number of areas are disinterested, paying little attention thereto; the forecasting and warning activities fail to meet the higher and higher social requirements; the withstanding capacity of infrastructure is low; the organizational apparatus is inadequate with the disaster prevention and fighting forces being quantitatively and qualitatively poor, which comprise mostly unprofessional part-timers with limited coping capability; sectoral and socio-economic development of ministries, sectors and localities fail to take into account the impacts on, and risks of, natural disasters; the natural disaster prevention and fighting resources are inadequate.

Climate changes and sea water rise cause impacts faster and stronger than weather and natural disaster forecasts in our country, while the exploitation of natural resources (water, forests, sand and cobble stones) upstreams the Red and Mekong river systems has increased natural disaster risks, affecting the sustainable national development. Therefore, a new vision and strategic orientations are required, applying comprehensive, effective and synchronous measures and mobilizing resources and participation of the entire society for preventing, fighting and coping effectively with natural disasters in the coming time.

1. Directing viewpoints:

a/ Natural disaster prevention and fighting constitute the task of the entire political system and the responsibility of the heads of localities as well as of the entire population and entire society.

b/ Natural disaster prevention and fighting is carried out in the direction of general management of risks according to basins, inter-regions, inter-sectors; plannings, plans, work construction investment projects must be formulated with  the impacts, which increase the natural disaster risks, taken into full account.

c/ Natural disaster prevention and fighting must be carried out with prevention as the core, the “ four on- spot” principle being well applied in association with the building of safe communities and new-typed countryside.