SEMINAR ON GREEN PRODUCTIVITY APPROACH FOR INTEGRATED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION

Jointly organized by:Asian Productivity Organization & Government of Vietnam through Directorate for Standards and Quality (STAMEQ), Vietnam Productivity Centre (VPC) 28 August, 2002, 1830 hr.~ 2000 hr. Japan Pavilion, Ubuntu Village, Johannesburg, South Africa

In an endeavor to find practical and attractive approaches to deal with both productivity and environmental protection for sustainable development, the APO decided to tackle the issue with the concept of Green Productivity (GP). Taking off from the industrial sector, GP was subsequently integrated into community development to address the issues of environmental protection and productivity in industries, service sector as well as in communities, with many successful examples of GP application for integrated community development (ICD) in the demonstration projects in Vietnam.

A seminar was organized in Japan pavilion by the APO and the Government of Vietnam, to disseminate the success stories and experiences of the GP-ICD demonstration projects. The seminar showcased the application of productivity tools and techniques in tandem with the environmental protection for community development with an ultimate objective of poverty alleviation.

The seminar was opened by the APO Secretary General Mr. Takashi Tajima. In his opening remarks, Mr. Tajima outlined the background of the APO's GP-ICD program. Dr. Pham Khoi Nguyen, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Vietnam, read out the message on behalf of the Vietnamese government. Dr. Nguyen Huu Thien, Director General, Directorate for Standards and Quality presented the success stories and experiences of adopting Green Productivity Approach for Integrated Community Development and Poverty Alleviation in Vietnam, which was followed by the screening of a short video film on GP-ICD success stories in Vietnam.

The seminar was attended by WSSD delegates and other interested organizations from around the Asian region and outside, who also actively participated in the discussions.