SAC Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win delivers speech at Green Development Forum of SCO Countries
Nay Pyi Taw July 8
Vice Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win delivered an address at the Green Development Forum of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Countries at Qingdao International Conference Center in Qingdao of Shandong Province of China at 9.30 am Local Standard Time today.
The Vice-Senior General arrived at Shanghe Hall of Qingdao International Conference Center and posed for documentary photos together with State delegates from member countries, observer countries and dialogue partner countries from SCO Countries.
The Myanmar delegation led by Vice-Senior General visited the exhibition to mark the forum.
The Vice-Senior General and party attended the opening ceremony of the forum at Shanghe Hall of Qingdao International Conference Center together with delegates, experts and officials from Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Iran, observers from Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia, dialogue partners from Sri Lanka, Türkiye, Cambodia, Azerbaijan, Nepal, Armenia, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, UAE and Bahrain.
At the opening ceremony, Mrs.Shen Yueyue, Vice Chairwoman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of Good-Neighbourliness Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, State delegates from SCO member countries, observer countries and dialogue partner countries delivered speeches.
Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-Senior General expressed his pride of accepting the congratulatory message sent by President of the People’s Republic of China Mr Xi Jinping to the forum. Discussions can be based on the message at the forum.
He continued that this forum title is very meaningful, calling for needs to live in harmony with nature. As the earth and human formed with biospheres are interrelated, everybody needs to take care of protecting the loss and damage in natural environment caused by human.
So, as representatives and experts from SCO countries will hold discussions on ecosystem changes and biodiversity protection, innovation for energy transformation, transformation of living system, and anti-climate change at the forum, today’s forum is a platform to enhance regional cooperation.
Greening development indexes are of great importance in encouraging sustainable development worldwide. The standards and norms of environmental management systems issued by the International Standard Authority are sound foundations for establishment of effective green development for many countries.
Myanmar is prioritizing promotion of investment for green development in order to improve natural environment and ecosystem and ensure long term development of socio-economy through nature-based ways.
To promote green economic development, the “Green Economy and Green Growth Forum” has been held six times since 2011, involving ministries, organizations, related stakeholders, ASEAN, and international experts. The outcomes of these discussions have greatly contributed to the establishment of Myanmar’s Green Economy Policy Framework.
To enhance Myanmar’s green development, the Green Economy Policy Framework is based on current policies and strategies, such as the National Environmental Policy, Myanmar’s Climate Change Policy, Strategies and Master Plans, the National Waste Management Strategy and Master Plan, and Myanmar’s Sustainable Development Plan. It has been developed through discussions with representatives from various ministries, non-governmental organizations, related stakeholders, and international experts.
The long-term vision of the policy framework is to “increase responsible investments in green economic development with low carbon emissions, effectively utilizing natural resources.”
The framework sets out four fundamental principles of green development, four objectives, and eleven priority sectors in which to enhance green economic investments.
To reduce the use of fossil fuel vehicles in Myanmar’s transportation sector and promote the development of electric vehicles within the country, an Electric Vehicle Development Policy has been established.
Currently, in alignment with the vision and mission stated in the policy, an Electric Vehicle Development Action Plan has been drafted. This plan includes the formulation of procedures and guidelines to systematically implement the importation, production, and utilization of electric vehicles.
Myanmar, with its long coastline and extensive ocean areas, possesses strong environmental foundations that allow for the sustainable extraction and use of marine and coastal natural resources. Developing the blue economy sector presents a significant opportunity to achieve continuous sustainable development. Therefore, an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Program has been established and is being implemented across various sectors.
This ensures sustainable extraction while also preserving the valuable underwater environment.
Additionally, ecotourism initiatives have been developed to promote both underwater and surface exploration along the southern coast of Myanmar, inviting visitors to explore these areas.
Furthermore, the forest and land use sectors are crucial for combating climate change, conserving biodiversity, and ensuring the long-term stability of livelihoods and socio-economic systems. Implementing green development practices in these sectors highlights the importance of systematic land use management.
To reduce deforestation and combat climate change, efforts are underway to designate 10 percent of the country’s area as protected areas and to increase forest coverage to 30 percent of the national territory. Currently, Myanmar has established eight ASEAN Heritage Parks, seven Ramsar Wetlands, two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, 59 protected areas, eight East Asia-Australia Flyway Network sites, and 22 elephant conservation based tourism camps, thus promoting nature-based tourism.
To enhance public understanding of the value of nature, Myanmar’s protected areas, such as Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, have been recognized as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in accordance with UNESCO standards.
Additionally, reforestation efforts are underway in Myanmar, including restoring habitats for biodiversity within protected areas, reducing carbonemissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and rehabilitating forests to improve their quality.
Similarly, with the cooperation of the local people, the establishment of community-owned forest plantations and the establishment of private forest plantations to promote the private sector are also being carried out.
In this rainy season, 22 million plants are being cultivated as a green movement with the cooperation of the people.
We are cooperating with international and regional countries in international agreements such as 1972 Stockholm Declaration on Human Environment, 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Environment Conservation and Development Plan-21, 1992 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 2015 Paris Agreement.
In order to achieve the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement and in setting carbon emission reduction targets by sector, Myanmar is being implemented to increase electricity production from solar, wind and water based renewable energy at the Nationally Determined Contributions-NDCs report for the development of the energy sector.
Green development projects for carbon reduction activities such as clean development processes, continuous development processes, the business of generating electricity from waste in the joint process of carbon credit, power stove distribution project and establishing and maintaining mangrove plantations are being implemented in cooperation with international organizations.
In doing so, the increase of public-private cooperation and cooperation with regional countries will be emphasized for encouraging the increase of green investments in order to support the green economy for long-term sustainable development with balanced economy, social and environmental protection, effectively carrying out environmental impact assessment and monitoring activities, and increasing low carbon investment activities to combat climate change.
In today’s world, those involved in preserving, exploitation and destruction of environmental beauty and ecosystems are human beings. Therefore, all the SCO member countries and all the partner countries attending today that discussed and studied to improve the environment and ecological systems in the form of public activities as a model for all other countries in the world and worked together for the long-term socio-economic development of humans and the environment.
Therefore, I would like to suggest that the promotion and dissemination of green development technologies, capacity building for human development,
ensuring continuous funding and increase cooperation in the region in the areas of education and research development among member countries.
We would like to urge Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries and partner countries to reaffirm their commitment to green development.
Myanmar is proud to participate as a SCO dialogue partner country since 2023 and hopes to further strengthen the cooperation and partnership of the member countries. With their collective forces and the combined power of resources and expertise together, we can bring green development and a sustainable future for generations to come.
We must remember that our actions today can determine a quality future for future generations A balance between humans and nature is not an impossible idea, but a necessity for human survival and prosperity.
The Vice-Senior General expressed his special thanks to the event organizers and all the participants for holding the forum today, and urged them to work together relentlessly for the same goals and solutions.
After that, the regional green development partnership and the leadership plan to promote a sustainable future together were announced.
Then, discussions were held under designated topics and representatives and experts from dialogue partner countries and observer countries took part in discussions about tasks being carried out by respective countries.
Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Min Thu and Deputy Director General Dr San Oo of the Environmental Conservation Department, who accompanied the Vice-Senior General participated in the discussions.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded in Shanghai in the People’s Republic of China by six countries including Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on 15 June 2001. The SCO Charter was signed at the SCO summit in St Petersburg in Russia in June 2002 and the charter came into effect on 19 September, 2003.
The main goals of the SCO are strengthening mutual confidence and good neighbourly relations among the member countries, promoting effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture as well as education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection and other fields, making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region and moving towards the establishment of new, democratic just and rational political and economic international order. In accordance with Shanghai cooperation policy , the SCO
pursues its internal policy based on the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equal rights, consultations, respect for the diversity of culture and aspiration towards common development.