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A sustainable rural society, where no poverty exists and people act responsibly toward the environment

On February 9 and 10, 2022, the Center for Rural Development in Central Vietnam (CRD) held a forum on “The Rights of Ethnic Minorities and Women in the Emission Reduction Program (ER-P)” in Hue city.

Overview of the Forum

The forum was held with about 50 delegates, including 30 members of Forest Protection and Management Communities, 10 representatives from Nam Dong and A Luoi district and 10 delegates from Thua Thien Hue province. The forum’s objective is to share information about the North Central region’s emission reduction program and to discuss issues relating to ethnic minorities’ and women’s rights in the ER-P. This is also an opportunity for women and ethnic minority communities to dialogue with local authorities and other stakeholders about the implementation of the emission reduction program in the North Central region.

At the forum, Mr. Than Trong Anh Hung, representative of Thua Thien Hue’s Forest Protection Department, gave a presentation on the North Central Region Emission Reduction Program. Mr. Hung discussed the program’s components as well as its operation and benefit sharing mechanisms, and emphasized the activities to be carried out. Following up on Mr. Hung’s presentation, Director of CRD, Dr. Truong Quang Hoang, discussed the rights of women and ethnic minorities in the program.

Representative of Thua Thien Hue’s Forest Protection Department, Mr. Than Trong Anh Hung presented about ER-P

The Director of CRD, Mr. Truong Quang Hoang, discussed the rights and benefits of women and ethnic minorities when taking part in ER-P.

During the discussion session, many questions were raised by representatives of community groups, with focus on the rights and benefits of ethnic minority communities, particularly women, when participating in the ER-P. They expressed their major concern about the livelihoods of forest-dependent people. In addition, the equal distribution of community forest management areas among families and the impacts of the transformation from short-term to long-term trees on the people’s economy were also topics of interest, which were raised by Ms. Blup Thi Tha, head of the A Roang Commune Women’s Union. In addition, the decision to plant perennial trees will have a significant impact on the local economy. Mr. Nguyen Van Khey talked about his worries regarding the preservation of the “Sacred Forest” and whether or not it is advantageous to preserve the Sacred Forest for Co-Tu people in Nam Dong and A Luoi district. Mr. Khai also expressed his desire to take part in more discussions and projects aimed at fostering better understanding when taking part in ER-P.

Delegates expressed their perspectives in the Forum

Representatives of relevant agencies answered the queries from the community and then spread information about the advantages the ER-P can provide to ethnic minorities.

Representatives of specialized agencies resolved the queries

The project “Promoting the effective engagement of ethnic minorities (EMs) in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Emission Reduction Program (ER-P) through strengthening knowledge and capacity of EMs in REDD+ process” was funded by the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and co-implemented by CRD and Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education (Tebtebba).

Written by: Nhat Son

Translated by: Dieu Huyen, Lan Anh

Center for Rural Development in Central Vietnam