Vietnam and Japan signed a memorandum of understanding on improving
Vietnam ’s chemical risk management system, in Hanoi on July 15.
The signatories were Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Nam
Hai and Japanese Deputy Minister of Economics, Trade and Industry
Mitsuyoshi Yanagisawa.
The MoU aims to enhance the
implementation of the Law on Chemicals in Vietnam and mitigate
negative impacts of the chemical industry on human health and the
environment for sustainable development.
Under the
agreement, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and Japan ’s
Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry (METI) will share information,
knowledge, experiences, regulations and technology in chemical
management and work together in personnel training.
The two sides will organise annual dialogues on topics and issues of mutual concern.
Addressing the signing ceremony, Deputy Minister Yanagisawa affirmed
that the MoU will serve as an important framework for bilateral
coordination in drafting standards and institutions for the management
of the chemical industry to match regulations of the region and the
world.
According to Deputy Head of the MoIT’s Chemical
Department Phung Ha, from now until 2015, the two sides will build a
chemical database and a list of chemicals to assist the implementation
of the Law on Chemicals as part of the Asian Sustainable Chemical Safety
Plan.
With METI assistance, the ministry will open
training courses for staff in relevant State agencies and enterprises to
increase their capacity in chemical risk assessment and management and
safety management of toxic chemicals.-VNA