Environmental pollution, ecosystem degradation and extreme weather phenomena such as large storms, heavy rain, drought, saltwater intrusion, and landslides are increasing in both frequency and intensity, posing urgent requirements in water resource management, environmental protection and proactive response to climate change.
According to UNICEF's Child Climate Risk Index report, Vietnamese children are increasingly facing air pollution and climate-related risks. Statistics show that 99.5% of children, equivalent to about 26.2 million children, are being affected by many climate and environmental shocks.
In that context, promoting action from the community, especially children and adolescents, is considered an important solution towards sustainable development.
On the morning of March 21, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in coordination with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam organized the Launching Ceremony to respond to World Water Day, World Meteorological Day, Earth Hour Campaign 2026 and launch the program "Children and Youth Action for Clean Air and Sustainable Future".
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Le Cong Thanh emphasized that 3 factors water, climate and energy are the foundation for the sustainable development of each country.
According to the Deputy Minister, for Vietnam, water resources and meteorological and hydrological conditions not only determine water security and food security but also directly affect people's livelihoods, the stability of the ecosystem and the development of the economy.
In the context of increasingly severe climate change, the requirement is to strengthen water resource management, improve hydrometeorological forecasting capacity, proactively respond to natural disasters and promote green and sustainable development.
Ministries, branches, localities, organizations, businesses and people need to join hands with practical actions such as building a national database system on natural resources and environment, promoting smart solutions in monitoring and supervision, raising awareness about using energy economically, protecting water resources, reducing air pollution; promoting technological innovation, developing a circular economy, and a low-carbon economy.
Every citizen should start from the smallest actions - saving water, saving electricity, reducing waste to jointly build a green future for us and future generations," the Deputy Minister affirmed.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ms. Silvia Danailov - UNICEF Representative in Vietnam said that discussions about water, climate and environment are ultimately for children and the future of children.
The responsibility of all of us, especially policymakers, is to listen to these voices and turn them into policies, investments and services to protect children," Ms. Silvia Danailov stated.
At the event, the program "Children and Youth Action for Clean Air and Sustainable Future" was also officially launched, with the goal of strengthening communication, improving capacity and promoting the practical participation of children and youth in environmental protection activities, improving air quality and responding to climate change.
The program aims to create an action platform, empowerment space and connecting ecosystem for young people's green initiatives to spread more widely.
