Australia supports “Clean up the world” campaign in Vietnam
Hanoi – The Australian Government continues its long-standing support for Vietnam’s “Clean up the World” campaign, supporting in 2010 grassroots environmental activities in Hanoi and national launch ceremony to be held in Bac Ninh on 19 September. With the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the Australian Embassy in Hanoi will also support the publication of an environmental education book.
The Embassy will organise a “Clean up the Zoo” activity in partnership with Thang Long Secondary school at the Hanoi (Thu Le) Zoo from 3pm 18 September. Embassy staff and children from the Embassy in Hanoi will conduct an exchange with students from the Thang Long Secondary School on the environment. An expert from Hanoi Zoo will talk about endangered animals and the important daily task of keeping the zoo’s grounds clean for the animals and visitors. After the exchange, Australian Embassy staff and the children will collect rubbish at the zoo.
According to the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, HE Mr Allaster Cox, “Practical activities at all levels of the community are fundamental to ensuring a clean environment. Raising public awareness and acting appropriately in maintaining the earth’s biodiversity are imperative as the quality of our food, energy, landscape and essential services depend on looking after the environment. We’re proud that Clean up the World, an Australian initiative, continues to receive such widespread and worthwhile support in Vietnam.”
Ms Nguyen Thanh Ha, Vice-Rector of Thang Song school said, “The activity at Thu le Zoo a very practical activity to raise awareness about keeping the environment clean among students and visitors at the zoo. We plan to make this activity a yearly event for our school.”
The environmental education book by the Environment Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will be published in September 2010, and focuses preserving the earth’s biodiversity. It is an informative read about the rapid decline in the number of species and why biodiversity is important more broadly for our continued existence and that of the planet.
About “Clean up the World”
“Clean up the World” started as a community activity in 1993 after Clean Up Australia founders, Ian Kiernan and Kim McKay, approached the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the idea of taking the Clean Up Australia concept globally. The resulting partnership now mobilises an estimated 35 million volunteers from 120 countries annually, making it one of the largest community-based environmental campaigns in the world. Vietnam has participated since 1994. As a country which is highly vulnerable to climate change, the Australian Government is working with Vietnam on a range of climate change mitigation and adaptation programs. This support includes VND 338.8 billion (A$19.49 million) for different projects such as a climate change impact and adaptation study in the Mekong Delta, conservation and development of the Kien Giang UNESCO Man and Biosphere reserves, and natural disaster risk management. Australia also provides A$100 million to the World Bank-led Clean Technology Fund (CTF) which supports climate change mitigation in high emitting developing countries.