The Government has made it clear: it is high time for sustainability. And, in that endeavor, the business community plays a crucial role.
Sustainable development is no longer a flowery pattern for an economy that has reached a certain level of advancement. Rather, sustainability has now emerged as an existential issue facing the economy, which, once properly addressed, will ensure social justice, a healthy environment, equitability for all stakeholders, resilience, and competitiveness during the period of international integration.
In recent years, the Government has integrated sustainability into its action programs, with the historic moment being an ambitious commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 made by Vietnam at the 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12, 2021. Prior to this landmark, the Government of Vietnam had reiterated sustainability as the ultimate goal in development.
In September 2020, the Government issued Resolution 136/NQ-CP on sustainable development, setting out 17 targets on sustainability to be achieved in the decade to 2030. More outstanding in the list are sustainable management of water resources, protection of the ocean and marine resources, development and sustainable exploitation of forests, sustainable use of natural resources via circularity, sustaintable energy, and efficient response to climate change.
The Government in its resolution also seeks to attain social sustainability in areas of education, healthcare, rural development, and hunger prevention via food security.
While such targets have been mandated to relevant parties, from the central Government to local authorities, it is the business community that has held aloft the mission of pursuing sustainability in their work-a-day operations.
Over the years, numerous enterprises have generously opened their hearts and widened their arms to support the community, from education and healthcare sponsorship to poverty reduction and women empowerment.
Over the years, multiple corporate citizens have sought to bring clean water to remote areas, build playgrounds for children, clean up the environment, and make huge donations to those people affected by natural disasters.
Over the years, many responsible businesses have managed to apply 3R, namely Reduce, Reuse and Recycle natural resources and materials to protect Mother Earth, and have invested heavily in circular economy for the good of the country, themselves and the next generations.
All such noble causes are well aligned to the sustainability goals set out by the United Nations and adopted by the Government, and contribute to the solid foundation for sustainable development that the Government has pledged to build.
The Saigon Times, an online English publication of the Saigon Times Group, highly appreciates such endeavors by enterprises who have enthusiatically supported sustainable development for the good of the economy and the community. With Saigon Times CSR 2023 – Sustainability and Beyond, we wish to accompany the business community in their meaningful journeys. All enterprises with corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and programs are requested to send in their stories about such noble causes so that The Saigon Times and other publications of the Saigon Times Group can disseminate such information to our readers for greater synergy in society.
