– Training Overview –
TRAINING ON ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE INSPECTIONS IN VIETNAM
Nikko Hotel
Hanoi, Vietnam
December 6-8, 2006
In response to the Vietnam Country Program Assessment completed with support from the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN) in 2005, Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) has identified inspector training as a priority activity. Inspector training is particularly of interest given the recent reorganization of MoNRE, where the provincial departments known as Departments of Natural Resources and Environment (DoNRE) face a shortage of qualified personnel to promote environmental compliance and enforcement. Moreover, most DoNRE officials have a background in land administration and housing.
To support design of an inspector training programto strengthen agency capacity, on December 6-8, 2006, AECEN and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) will organize a 2 ½-day training program on the principles of environmental compliance and inspection for 30-35 Vietnamese participants. MoNRE’s Inspectorate will serve as the chief technical counterpart for the workshop.
As a follow up to the training, on December 8, AECEN and U.S. EPA will conduct a planning workshop to develop a work plan for an AECEN pilot project on strengthening capabilities in environmental compliance and inspection. The pilot project could include such elements as assessing existing capabilities, defining new policies and procedures, developing linkages to environmental compliance and enforcement indicators, and developing a train-the-trainer program.
U.S. EPA’s Environmental Compliance Inspections Training course is intended forinspectors and investigators within government institutions responsible forconducting environmental compliance inspections and using the results of theprocess to make compliance determinations that may subsequently result in enforcement actions.
Inspector training is fundamental to the success of any environmentalcompliance and enforcement program. There is wide consensus that a range of both carrots andsticks are needed to achieve improvements in environmental performance and to protect thepublic and natural resources from illegal activities that threaten sustainable development. At thefoundation of the most innovative and traditional approaches is the need for credible, professionaland quality inspections. U.S. EPA’s mutual goals are to inaugurate world-wide capacity building througha cadre of trained facilitators who will continue to provide inspector training, and tostimulate ongoing exchange between inspectors within the context of broader networking.
Location:Nikko Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam
Attendees:30-35 participants including representatives from the Vietnam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) Inspectorate, and inspectors from various Departments of Natural Resources and Environment (DoNRE)
Trainers:U.S. EPA
Language:English with simultaneous Vietnamese translation
Organizers:Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)
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Draft- for discussion purposes only November 17, 2006