"Environmental security in Southeast Asia in the context of economic, ecological and social transformation"

Environmental security is a major concern today, especially in the context of complex climate change, which profoundly affects many countries and regions worldwide, including Southeast Asia. With countries facing resource depletion and environmental pollution – consequences of economic growth and the impacts of global climate change – adjusting and finding solutions is crucial. The seminar on “Environmental Security in Southeast Asia in the Context of Economic, Ecological, and Social Transformation” is a crucial collaborative activity that plays an important role in promoting and expanding research networks and knowledge exchange both domestically and internationally on environmental security and sustainable development in Vietnam in particular and Southeast Asia in general.

Speaking at the seminar, Professor Nguyen Van Kim, Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, emphasized, "Organizing this seminar is extremely significant, contributing to providing arguments to support the process of formulating and implementing policies on sustainable development, creating a balance between economic, ecological, and social values ​​in Vietnam's development strategy in the coming time."

The seminar was attended by numerous domestic and international experts from leading universities and research institutions on environmental security issues, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Public Security. In particular, the delegates heard a keynote report by Lieutenant General, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Public Security - on the issue of non-traditional security in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The content of the report opened up discussion topics on environmental security from a non-traditional security perspective, and the challenges facing non-traditional security in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Presenting his report at the seminar, Major General, Professor, Dr. Tran Minh Huong - Director of the People's Police Academy - emphasized that environmental security is a national security issue that requires the attention of not only the academic community but also policymakers today.

The seminar featured 11 presentations and over 20 discussions and comments on environmental security issues, solutions, and policies. Philip Degenhardt, Director of the Rosa Luxemburg Institute for Southeast Asia and a research expert on economic, ecological, and social transformation, expressed concern about the trade-off between economic development and ecological and social values, emphasizing the need to predict the consequences of environmental pollution and environmental security in countries today, including Vietnam. The presentations by two international speakers, Ms. Maureen Harris - Southeast Asia Program Director of International Rivers and Ms. Poppy Sulistyaning Winanti - Deputy Head of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia, received significant attention and positive reception from domestic experts, offering valuable lessons on water resource exploitation and management in the Mekong River region and the issue of reducing economic dependence on mining activities in Indonesia.

In the final discussion session of the seminar, the report on maritime security by Captain Dr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Head of the Maritime Faculty, Vietnam Maritime University, and the report on solutions for a model using solar energy to distill saltwater into freshwater by Ms. Huynh Canh Thanh Lam from Can Tho College of Economics and Technology, presented practical solutions that balanced economic, ecological, and social factors.

Concluding the seminar, Associate Professor Dr. Dao Thanh Truong - Director of the Institute of Policy and Management, Head of the Faculty of Management Science, and Project Director - emphasized that the research process and approach to economic, ecological, and social transformation will continue to expand and develop based on the cooperation project with the Rosa Luxemburg Institute in Southeast Asia. The Institute of Policy and Management expects to continue receiving the attention and support of experts and policymakers in research activities on economic, ecological, and social transformation in Vietnam in the future.