Resolution 88/NQ-CP 2022 strategic orientations on geology, minerals and the mining industry up to 2030

RESOLUTION

Promulgating the Government’s Action Program for implementation of the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW of February 10, 2022, on strategic orientations on geology, minerals and the mining industry up to 2030, with a vision toward 2045^[1]

THE GOVERNMENT

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government; and the November 22, 2019 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Administration;

Pursuant to the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW of February 10, 2022, on strategic orientations on geology, minerals and the mining industry up to 2030, with a vision toward 2045;

Pursuant to Official Letter No. 46-HD/BTGTW of April 4, 2022, of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education, guiding the research, study, mastery and implementation of the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW of February 10, 2022, on strategic orientations on geology, minerals and the mining industry up to 2030, with a vision toward 2045;

At the proposal of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment;

On the basis of the voting results of the Government Members,

RESOLVES:

Article 1. To promulgate together with this Resolution the Government’s Action Program for implementation the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW of February 10, 2022, on strategic orientations on geology, minerals and the mining industry up to 2030, with a vision toward 2045.

Article 2. This Resolution takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 3. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally run cities, Chairpersons of Members’ Councils and Directors General of state-owned economic groups and corporations engaged in mineral activities, and related agencies, organizations and individuals shall implement this Resolution.

On behalf of the Government
For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
LE VAN THANH

ACTION PROGRAM

For implementation of the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW of February 10, 2022, on strategic orientations on geology, minerals and the mining industry up to 2030, with a vision toward 2045

(Promulgated together with the Government’s Resolution No. 88/NQ-CP of July 22, 2022)

I. OBJECTIVES

To fully implement the viewpoints, objectives, tasks and solutions stated in the Party Central Committee’s Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW of February 10, 2022, on strategic orientations on geology, minerals and the mining industry up to 2030, with a vision toward 2045 (below referred to as Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW). To identify major and central tasks of state administrative agencies at the central and local levels, state-owned economic groups and corporations, and related agencies and organizations for working together for the purpose of sustainably developing the country’s geology and mineral sector and mining industry.

II. TASKS AND SOLUTIONS

1. Tasks

a/ Organizing the dissemination of Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW

In 2022, ministries, sectors, local administrations at all levels, state-owned economic groups and corporations, and related agencies and organizations shall complete the dissemination of the contents of Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW to Party members, cadres, civil servants, public employees, workers and people from all walks of life, especially heads of agencies and organizations, and enterprises operating in the geology and mineral sector.

b/ Improving the legal system, mechanisms and policies on geology, minerals and the mining industry

- To complete the dossier of proposal for formulation of a draft Mineral Law (amended) for submission to the Government in July 2022. In light of this, to review and fully evaluate results achieved after 10 years of implementing the 2010 Mineral Law; to fully institutionalize new policies on geological baseline surveys and geological resources; to amend, supplement and improve the contents of policies in the field of minerals and mining industry of Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW so as to propose the formulation of a draft Mineral Law (amended) to replace the 2010 Mineral Law. After the dossier of proposal for formulation of the draft Mineral Law (amended) is approved by the 15^th National Assembly, to complete the formulation of the draft Law and submit it to the 15^th National Assembly at the 2023 year-end session. To focus on the following contents:

+ Specifying the contents of baseline surveys of geological resources (mineral resources, position resources, geological heritages, and geoparks) and other geological conditions: geological hazards, environmental geology, hydrogeology-engineering geology, geomorphology, etc.) on the principle that geological baseline surveys shall be mainly carried out by the State and with mobilized social resources; geological and mineral information and data (which constitute the national database) must be submitted to the geological archives for centralized and unified management, while clearly defining responsibilities and obligations of agencies, organizations and individuals for reimbursement of funds when exploiting and using geological and mineral information and data.

+ Clearly defining responsibilities of organizations and individuals involved in mineral activities; specifying reinvestment of revenues from mineral mining for development of education, health, infrastructure, and social security assurance, etc., for localities and people in areas where mining activities are carried out, prioritizing and providing support to develop production, transform livelihoods and stabilize the lives of ethnic minority people.

+ Reviewing the Government-promulgated decrees detailing and guiding the implementation of the 2010 Mineral Law, proposing the addition to the outline of the draft Mineral Law (amended) for further improvement the regulations on auction of mining rights; order and procedures for licensing the exploration and mining of minerals for use as common building materials (including riverbed sand and gravel) to suit reality; giving priority to licensing the mining of minerals for use as common building materials to serve the construction of infrastructure works, especially national key works.

- To complete guiding texts of the Mineral Law (amended) in 2024 right after the Law is promulgated.

- To review and adjust the royalty rates for a number of minerals in order to promote investment in advanced and modern technologies for mineral mining and processing in mineral deposits with complex geological and mining conditions, low content and poor technical infrastructure. To improve policies on mineral import-export and reserves, ensuring the balance between immediate needs and long-term mineral reserves.

- To improve policies to promote foreign investment and cooperation in applying advanced and modern technologies to mineral mining and processing in order to master advanced technologies transferred from developed countries and narrow the gap regarding the development level with advanced countries in terms of geology, minerals and the mining industry; to encourage domestic enterprises to make offshore investment in the geology and mineral sector in order to increase domestic mineral reserves.

- To improve policies to attract, train and develop human resources, highly qualified experts and skilled workers in the geological and mineral sector. To formulate regimes on treatment for cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers in the geology and mineral sector.

c/ Propagandizing, disseminating and educating the law on geology, minerals and the mining industry

- To regularly organize propagandization, dissemination and education of the law on geology, minerals and the mining industry in all forms (conferences, seminars; newspapers, radio and television, media, social networks, etc., and other forms suitable to the culture, language and regional characteristics of different ethnic minority groups) in order to reach consensus in the awareness about the importance of geological and mineral resources and the role and position of the geology sector and mining industry.

- To propagandize and disseminate legal documents to all authorities, sectors, localities, enterprises and people right after they are promulgated.

d/ Improving the effect and effectiveness of state management of geological and mineral resources and the mining industry

- In 2022, to complete the formulation of, and submit to the Prime Minister for approval:

+ Strategy on geology, minerals and the mining industry up to 2030, with a vision toward 2045.

+ Master plan on geological baseline surveys of minerals for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

+ Master plan on mineral exploration, mining, processing and use for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

+ Master plan on exploration, mining, processing and use of minerals as building materials for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

+ National master plan on energy for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

- To review the functions, tasks and organizational structures of related ministries and sectors in order to perform unified state management of the geology and mineral sector, and the national database on geological and mineral resources. Before 2025, to complete the model and consolidate the organization of agencies performing state management of the geology and mineral sector from the central to local levels, including a system of agencies performing the function of specialized mineral inspection.

- To study transparent and effective mineral resource governance models of the world for application in Vietnam in the direction of strengthening the role of inspection and supervision of localities and people in areas where mining activities are carried out and complete this task before 2025.

- To make statistics, conduct inventory, and assess the current status of mineral resources in order to quantify and fully account the value of mineral resources into the economy and complete this task before 2025.

dd/ Other tasks

- Before 2025, to build and concentratedly and uniformly manage the national database on geological and mineral resources; to establish a digital resource platform and implement digital transformation in management and exploitation of minerals, ensuring publicity and transparency, and improving the effectiveness and effect of state management.

- Before 2030, to complete the comprehensive transformation of technologies and equipment of small-scale mineral mining and processing establishments, especially those for mining of stones for use as common building materials, which are socio- economically ineffective or cause waste of natural resources and energy in order to ensure safety and minimize environmental pollution.

- Before 2025, to complete investment in the projects on chromite ore mining and processing at Co Dinh chromium mine (Thanh Hoa province) and steel melting and rolling at Quy Xa iron mine (Lao Cai province). To research and select technologies that are close to the world level so as invest in brown coal mining in the Red River Delta; to evaluate investment efficiency and sustainable socio-economic effectiveness to consider investment in iron and titanium mining and processing projects in Thach Khe, Ha Tinh province (for iron), and Binh Thuan province (for titanium), and complete this task before 2030.

- To maintain operational efficiency of bauxite-alumina-aluminum, rare earth, cement, iron-steel, copper, and white marble mining and processing projects for development into a sustainable key industry commensurable with mineral scales; to use advanced and modern mining and processing technologies and equipment according to the circular economy model to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and rationally use coal to reach the goal of net-zero emissions before 2050.

2. Solutions

- To build capacity of leading and directing the state management of the geology and mineral sector; to effectively manage and use geological and mineral resources; to ensure environmental protection, ecology and occupational safety in mineral activities. To proactively prevent, resolutely fight and strictly handle violations of the law on geology and minerals.

- To strengthen inspection, examination and supervision, and consider responsibility of organizations and individuals for occurrence of violations in management and use of minerals and in activities related to geology, minerals and the mining industry. To revoke mining licenses and strictly handle organizations and individuals that commit violations in mineral mining activities, especially those taking advantage of the situation to speculate or hoard goods or raise prices, causing damage to the interests of the State and the people.

- To step up the application of information technology in geological and mineral surveys; to build the national unified and synchronous database on geological and mineral resources from the central to local levels, ensuring the progress of digital transformation in the geology and mineral sector as approved by the Government.

- To promote cooperation and learn from international experiences in research and survey of deep-hidden minerals; to build databases on geology minerals, underground space and mineral resource governance; to conduct cave surveys and geological heritage surveys; to carry out environmental remediation and rehabilitation after mineral mining.

- To prioritize the allocation of state budget funds in combination with mobilizing and effectively using social resources for baseline geological and mineral surveys according to master plans and plans in order to have sufficient geological information and data for the purposes of national defense, security, transport, construction, industry and trade, and agriculture, etc.

- Every year, localities shall make plans on allocation of funds within local budget estimates to protect unmined minerals.

- To review and propose adjustments to mining output of a number of minerals in line with the socio-economic development situation in each period in accordance with the Planning Law in the direction of prioritizing domestic demand.

III. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. On the basis of the tasks and solutions stated in this Action Program, and based on their assigned functions and tasks, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of related government-attached agencies, and chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally run cities shall formulate their implementation plans.

2. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, and chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally run cities shall focus on directing, intensifying the inspection and urging the implementation of this Action Program; and before December 31 every year, send reports on implementation results to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for summarization and reporting to the Prime Minister.

3. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment shall, based on his/her assigned functions, tasks and powers, monitor and urge the implementation of this Action Program by ministries, sectors and localities; and before March 31 each year, summarize and report implementation results to the Government and the Prime Minister and propose necessary measures so as to ensure that this Action Program is implemented in an effective and synchronous manner.-