The workshop attracted the participation of more than 40 guests including delegates from supreme audit institutions (SAIs) that are ASEANSAI members including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Philippines; representatives of the People's Committees of Nam Dinh and Ha Tinh provinces and delegates from the State Audit of Vietnam.
Currently, Southeast Asian countries are witnessing the rapid development of industrial clusters and craft villages in the process of industrialization and modernization, contributing positively to economic growth, job creation and export promotion. However, this development also brings great environmental challenges, affecting public health and quality of life if not effectively controlled.
Meanwhile, the environment plays an important role in economic and social life through providing resources and living conditions for people; it is one of the three pillars of sustainable development that countries around the world are aiming for. Environmental protection has become a global issue of special concern.
Recognizing the importance of environmental protection as well as the challenges that most SAIs are facing in conducting environmental audits, in 2022, the State Audit of Vietnam proposed a knowledge sharing project with the theme "Environmental management and protection in industrial clusters and craft villages". This is not only an issue of special concern to the National Assembly, the Government and the people of Vietnam, but also a common problem that many developing countries face when transforming from traditional industrial production to modern industrial production. The results of the project have helped provide a comprehensive and specific view of the environmental situation in these areas, contributing to orienting policies and measures to improve the environment in accordance with the requirements of sustainable development.
According to Deputy State Auditor General Ha Thi My Dung, in recent times, the State Audit of Vietnam has conducted environmental audits to assess environmental management and protection in industrial clusters and craft villages in many localities, recording many outstanding results and making important assessments and recommendations.
At the third regular meeting of the ASEANSAI Knowledge Sharing Committee on July 22, 2022, the Committee agreed to organize a knowledge sharing workshop with the theme "Environmental management and protection in industrial clusters and craft villages" based on the proposal of the State Audit of Vietnam - Head of the 2024 knowledge sharing project.
The workshop is of great significance, not only for ASEANSAI member SAIs but also for the Southeast Asian community, as we join hands towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), protect the environment and maintain accountability in public governance.
Ms. Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi - State Auditor General of Malaysia, Chairwoman of ASEANSAI Knowledge Sharing Committee said that environmental factors are the foundation for the existence and development of the whole society. Therefore, environmental protection is not only a matter to be done, it is also a task that demonstrates the ethics of each individual and collective.
“The ASEANSAI Knowledge Sharing Committee is strongly committed to sharing experiences to enhance our role in achieving the SDGs. This requires the gathering of all auditors in the ASEAN community, which is a testament to our collective dedication to a sustainable future,” the Auditor General of Malaysia affirmed.
At the workshop, speakers from SAIs Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, People's Committees of Nam Dinh and Ha Tinh provinces presented papers, discussed and shared experiences on the role of SAIs in promoting environmental auditing and improving environmental management and protection in industrial clusters and craft villages - places that are strongly transforming from traditional handicrafts to modern industrial production.
Based on the current situation and existing challenges in environmental management in industrial clusters and craft villages, in recent years, the State Audit of Vietnam has conducted environmental audits on environmental management and protection in industrial clusters and craft villages. In 2022, the State Audit of Vietnam conducted an audit of environmental management and protection in industrial clusters and craft villages in Tu Son town (Bac Ninh province) and Hoai Duc district (Hanoi) in the period 2019-2021. By 2023, the audit will be expanded to industrial clusters and craft villages in Bac Giang, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, and Ha Tinh provinces in the period 2020-2022.
The two audits have basically comprehensively assessed the compliance, effectiveness and efficiency of environmental management and protection in the provinces. Thereby, the State Audit of Vietnam has pointed out shortcomings and limitations in policies, in environmental management and protection in industrial clusters and craft villages, such as: Localities have not yet developed and issued complete documents and regulations related to environmental protection in craft villages and industrial clusters; some documents have been issued but have not been promptly updated and adjusted according to the Law on Environmental Protection 2020; there is still a situation of granting new establishment licenses to establishments with high risks of causing environmental pollution in craft villages that have previously been reviewed, assessed and classified as environmental pollution and serious environmental pollution; have not completed the necessary tasks to prevent and respond to environmental incidents...
Since then, the State Audit of Vietnam has recommended rectifying and overcoming violations in state management of the environment; recommended competent authorities to amend and supplement inconsistent documents and policies that are not suitable to reality; contributed to improving the economy, effectiveness and efficiency in the operations of competent authorities when implementing environmental policies.
Ms. Ha Lan Anh - Vice Chairman of Nam Dinh Provincial People's Committee - assessed: Vietnam's State Audit plays an important role in helping to improve transparency and efficiency in state management, while actively contributing to the sustainable development of the economy and environmental protection.
Conducting an audit of environmental management and protection for industrial clusters and craft villages in the 2020-2022 period, in addition to the achievements in environmental management and protection for industrial clusters and craft villages, the State Audit Office has pointed out existing shortcomings and recommended the Provincial People's Committee to direct departments, branches and sectors to implement solutions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of state management of environmental protection.
"Through the audit, the People's Committee of Nam Dinh province realized that auditing the responsibility of management in general and the responsibility of environmental protection management in industrial clusters of craft villages in particular is an important task that needs to be implemented synchronously by the province's specialized agencies and local authorities," Ms. Lan Anh affirmed.
Mr. Tran Bao Ha - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province - said that, implementing the conclusions and recommendations of the State Audit Office, the province has directed relevant departments, branches and localities to overcome shortcomings in the work of building, promulgating and amending documents related to management and environmental protection in industrial clusters and craft villages in the province. In particular, the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province issued Document No. 2686/UBND-KT dated May 15, 2024 directing "Do not accept new investment projects or increase the capacity of operating projects that generate wastewater in industrial clusters if there is no or does not meet one of the requirements on environmental protection infrastructure prescribed in Article 48 of Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP of the Government...".
“In the coming time, Ha Tinh province will continue to focus on environmental protection in industrial clusters and craft villages, aiming for green growth and sustainable development,” the Vice Chairman of Ha Tinh Provincial People's Committee pledged.
Regarding the field of environmental auditing, through the environmental impact assessment audit of oil well drilling and exploitation activities in Magway and Mandalay (Myanmar), SAI Myanmar has made many important findings on weaknesses in relevant laws, lack of coordination between departments and parties, as well as delays in implementing the Environmental Management Plan.
SAI Myanmar also found that ineffective compliance monitoring and poor assessment of implementation measures were among the causes contributing to oil spills into rivers and streams, which then spilled Vietnamese sausages onto agricultural land, negatively affecting the socio-economic situation of local communities.
The SAI Myanmar representative said that the audit results have helped make the Environmental Management Plan processes more effective. At the same time, it has helped improve coordination among the parties responsible for monitoring oil well drilling and exploitation activities.
Sharing experiences at the workshop, the representative of SAI Malaysia said that during the process of conducting the national water resources management audit, SAI Malaysia discovered that 140 projects were delayed, exceeding the scheduled time, causing losses of 4.753 billion Malaysian ringgit. In addition, SAI Malaysia also discovered that water quality pollution from wastewater treatment plants is one of the highest sources of pollution for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), estimated at 343.45 tons per day...
Through the audit, SAI Malaysia recommends that the monitoring of the completion and development of water quality projects should be strengthened to ensure timely completion. At the same time, the control of pollution sources and treatment parameters should be improved more effectively...
At the workshop, representatives of SAI Brunei discussed auditing pollution control for industrial development, focusing on air pollution control, water environment, and waste classification auditing; SAI Indonesia shared experiences in auditing tourist villages and environmental impacts...
Underscoring the commitment of member SAIs to the efforts to develop environmental auditing at national and regional levels, the Auditor General of Malaysia, Chair of the ASEANSAI Knowledge Sharing Committee, said: “We will all work together to enhance the role of SAIs in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This requires the convergence of all auditors in the ASEAN community, all of us contributing to a sustainable future.”
