WILHELM STEINGRUBE¹, BÙI QUANG THÀNH²

Since a lot of years the term sustainability is well known all over the world. It is not only a theoretical concept, but also a general goal, a political objective, a code of conduct, a guidance. Sustainability has to be observed on all spatial levels - from the global dimension down to the local level. So almost everything seems to be governed by sustainability.

With this contribution we like to give an introduction about the history, the ideas, institutions and requirement concerning this approach of sustainability.

Using sustainability as a frame for our project V©n Chàng we analysed the ecological, the social and the economic situation of that village. The results we will report here briefly.

• The political root:

After the 2^nd World War a lot of people dreamt of a new peaceful world. But in time that dream has been replaced by a realistic understanding of the forces contributing to the world‘s problems. People began to understand how closely linked the environment and development truly are. Many political groups and movements had to realize the reality.

• The ecological roots:

- "Silent Spring", published by Rachel Carson in 1962 with the first clues of the danger of agricultural pesticides, has given a start to a lot of people. This book shattered the assumption that the environment has an infinite capacity to absorb pollutants.

- 6 years later you could read "Population Bomb", written by Paul Ehrlich. The title has been really interesting and dangerous: It suggested that the population itself seemed to be a problem. But Ehrlich did not talk only about the people. The important advantage has been the connection of three aspects, he discussed the connection between human population, resource exploitation and environment.

In the following years - in the 1970s - several movements, institutions, foundations and parties which are still important were founded.

• 1971, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) was founded in Britain.

The IIED was established with a mandat to seek ways to make economic progress without destroying the environmental resource base. It is an independent, non-profit organization promoting sustainable patterns of world development through collaborative research, policy studies, networking and knowledge dissemination.

Today, the IIED comprises a multicultural, multilingual staff of over 70 people from 18 countries. The headquarter is in London, offices are in Edinburgh/Scotland, in Dakar/West Africa and an affiliated organization, IIED-America Latina in Buenos Aires/Argentina.

• 1971, Greenpeace started up in Canada.

Today Greenpeace is without any doubt the world‘s pre-eminent environmental organisation. It has grown into a global force with offices in 39 countries. Greenpeace works on very different levels: On the one hand they discuss and work on international conferences as lobbyist for the environment. On the other hand they start actions locally with direct, non-violent actions.

• 1972, Values Party was formed in New Zealand as the world‘s first national green party.

New Zealand really has been the first country where the green movement got a new political dimension. Meanwhile there are green parties like this in nearly every country – of course with a really large difference in their success.

• 1972, Club of Rome published "Limits to Growth".

This book is a popular-science book. It makes the beginning for the public to learn to think about the environment.

The Club of Rome is a non-profit and a non governmental organization (NGO). It is a global think tank and centre of innovation and initiatives. It brings together scientists, economists, businessmen and heads of states.

• The scenario which the Club of Rome talked about has been not so unrealistic as some politicians and other economists liked to tell the public: In the same year the industrial countries had to learn how strongly they depend on some raw material, in this case it has been the oil. The OPEC did raise the price and that ended in the so called "oil crises" of 1972.
• 1972, United Nations Conference in Stockholm on Human Environment, which is the first global and really important meeting.

This conference lead to the establishment of numerous national environmental protection agencies and programs, especially the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program).

• 1975, Worldwatch Institute.

Worldwatch is an example for a lot of new organizations: It is a non-profit public policy research organization dedicated to inform policymakers and the public about emerging global problems and trends and the complex connections between the world economy and its environmental support systems.

In 1984 the institute published its first "State of the World Report" with the conclusion: "We are living beyond our means, largely by borrowing against the future"

In the year 1987 happened the accident at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl. This horrible disaster - with several thousands of killed and seriously hurt people - has been one of the facts which did show the world that there are several problems which are made by mankind.

This report is the most important paper up to that time. The UN had sponsored a commission headed by the former Norwegian president, Mrs. Gro Harlem Brundtland. This commission got problems together and for the first time, gave some directions for comprehensive global solutions.

The Brundtland Report has popularized the term "sustainable development" and as a result, several new institutes were founded. Today still very important are:

• 1989 - Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)

SEI has been developed from the work to prepare the UN conference in Stockholm 1972 and the Brundtland-Commission. In 1989 they were established by the Swedish government and today they are an independent, international research institute.

• 1990 - International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

IISD has been established in Canada. This organization tries to advance policy recommendations. They use mainly Internet communications.

In the year 1992 has been the worldwide most important conference:

It has been the biggest meeting of world leaders, 179 governments took part. The results of "Rio‘1992":

• Convention of climate

The last wellknown conference concerning this topic has been in KYOTO/Japan (1997). There the participants aggreed to commitments with the view to reduce their overall emissions of six greenhouse gases (Kyoto Protocol).

• Convention on biodiversity
• Statement of Principles for the Sustainable Management of Forest
• Program of Action: Agenda 21

Agenda21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments and Major Groups in every area with human impacts on the environment.

What happened since then?

In spite of the Earth Summit‘s initial success, much more has to be done to translate the Earth Summit commitments into reality.

Greater cooperation is needed on the international level to deal with global issues, particularly those dividing developed and developing countries.

• 1992, CSD (Commission on Sustainable Development)

The UN General Assembly founded the CSD and gave that organization the guidelines. The CSD

• Several international conferences were held, for instance:

Ten years after Rio’1992 - in September 2002 - was held a world summit again:

• main topics:

- water

- energy

- biological diversity

- nutritional security

- health

The results of WSSD‘2002":

• no agreements that will lead to new treaties
• but some important new targets

- to halve the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015

- to use and produce chemicals by 2020 in ways that do not end in significant adverse effects on human health and the environment

- to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological diversity

- to maintain or restore depleted fish stocks …

Because of using the term "sustainable development" since several years, there are a lot of definitions. But the essence is always the same, only the words differ a little bit. Most of them formulate close to the original text out of the "Brundtland report".

SD focuses on improving the quality of life for all of the Earth‘s citizens without increasing the use of natural resources beyond the capacity of the environment to supply them indefinitely.

It requires an understanding that interaction has consequences and that we must find innovative ways to change institutional structures and influence individual behaviour.

The Brundtland report also said that economic development can not stop, but the course has to be changed to fit the planet‘s limits.

"Sustainable development" comprises three components,

• a natural (nature, ecology, environment),
• an economic (economy),
• a social (society).

Sometimes these three components are called: elements, dimension, pillars.

Figure 1. The model of sustainability

These three components are equal. They have to be in balance.

So, if you use the term "sustainable development" you have to ensure to pay attention to all of the three components.

Because there are three components, sustainable development – in its basic and first idea – is often illustrated as a triangle (see for instance fig.1).

These three components are the first step, the first level to characterize the abstract term of SD. Table 1 shows some subject areas of the next level to illustrate the subject matter of each dimension.

Tab.1. Subject areas of the three dimensions of SD

From the global point of view you can identify a lot of problems which obstruct a good sustainable development. The most important problems are the following:

• Depletion of finite resources (i.e. fuels, soil, minerals, species)
• Over-use of renewable resources (i.e. forests, fish & wildlife, public funds)
• Pollution (concerning for instance air, water, soil)
• Inequity (economic, political, social)

Sustainable development implies limits! Not predefined absolute limits, but limitations imposed by:

• the ability of the biosphere to absorb the effects of human activities
• adaptability of human social and political organization
• technology

On the WSSD’2002 in Johannesburg has been the subject area "water" one of the five main topics and among the new targets there are several concerning water too.

Water is central to basic human dynamics:

• Ecosystem
• Human health
• Energy
• Food
• Economic activities

We have to note that

• 1,3 billion people lack access to adequate drinking water
• 2,4 billion people are without sanitation services
• 2-5 million people - mostly children - die every year from preventable waterborne disease.

Unfortunately we have to realize that there are many global conventions and agreements formally identifying and declaring a rang of human rights (fundamental freedoms / social, political and cultural rights / rights of children..) but not any mentioned water explicitly.

A simple, but not good defence: Access to clean water is often a precondition for many human rights.

 Because of the really essential importance of water, the right to water in quantities and of a quality that is necessary to meet the basic needs, has to be protected by law.

During the 1980s, ViÖt Nam experienced a serious economic recession as a consequence of multiple years of war, embargo and ineffective management.

Since 1986, the government of ViÖt Nam has introduced the "Doi Moi" policy of renovation, the implementation of which has brought the country to a new era with fundamental and significant economic achievements. This has been primarily due to the release of its domestic production power, the implementation of global integration and the utilization of external resources.

But besides that socio-economic achievements, the nation’s environmental degradation has become evident. So several national strategies, programs and laws have been issued:

• 1986 - the "National Conservation Strategy" was prepared
• 1991 - a "National Plan for Environment and Sustainable Development in ViÖt Nam for the 1991-2000 Period" was formulated
• 1992 - ViÖt Nam participated in the summit held in Rio and committed to Agenda 21
• 2000 - the "National Strategy for Environmental Protection for the 2001-2010 Period" was formulated.

"The Vietnamese Government has decided to allocate 2.5 billion US dollars for the reforestation programme and to close all natural forests. By the year 2001, the Government has demarcated for protection 101 national ecological parks of biodiversity, cultural and historical heritages with a total area of 2.1 million hectares, accounting for 6 % of the country's territory. The forest coverage has increased to 33.2% of the natural area.

Focus has also been given to the prevention of environmental pollution with a view to minimizing and effectively mitigating the consequences of environmental incidents.

In striving for sustainable development, however, ViÖt Nam is still facing acute challenges such as the low level of economic, scientific and technological development, inadequate public awareness of the importance of environmental protection, financial constraints, and so on.

To protect and preserve the environment on Earth for sustainable development, ViÖt Nam is committed to strictly observing relevant international treaties." (Ph¹m Gia Khiªm 2002)

The following chapter comprises the results of our scientific surveys carried out in the 2000-2003 period.

We will present here mainly the results concerning the social and the economic dimension of sustainability because the other papers deal with ecological aspects.

Nam §Þnh is an administrative province located in the delta of the Red River. It is one of the most densely populated regions and an economical and political important territory.

The main resources are agriculture and traditional working trades. Family manufacturing and other small companies are the typical craft trading producers. For more detailed information see §ào Huy Quý (2000).

The village of V©n Chàng has a long history of craft making, the blacksmith craft started 700 years ago already and became the cradle of craft in ViÖt Nam.

Within the village our first survey  covered 305 families (1239 persons), thus the sample comprises 50% of the households and 36% of the inhabitants of V©n Chàng.

With the second survey we collected information about 578 buildings (see fig. 2), 362 of them are production sites.

Figure 2. Study Area

Production in the village of V©n Chàng is characterised by their small and medium size, either within a household or a group of families.

The primary products of V©n Chàng are made of aluminium or iron, especially pots, saucepans, knifes, scissors, nails and bike parts. In Table 2 you can see the products.

Tab. 2. List of products in V©n Chàng

The means of production remain rudimentary, almost production equipments are old, and backward, though advanced machinery and equipment are sometimes employed to increase productivity and product quality.

The production methods, the quantity and quality of products depend on many constraints (see fig. 3).

One of the constraints most frequently cited has been the lack of a market, both for the existing production and for an expansion of the production. Several entrepreneurs as well as members of the administration said that the "Government" should provide a market

In V©n Chàng, the manufacturing is seasonal. Only 8 or 9 months per year the production is working. The market for these products are some neighbouring provinces - such as Nghe An and Thanh Hoa – because of their low product quality and the passive marketing, which are obstacles for the village to open its market to some major cities. So searching for domestic outlets is still a significant problem for the province authorities.

Policy plays a key role in the development of the village. The Government has recently issued several policies and strategies that should create better conditions for the craft villages. The Government attaches great importance to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and of craft villages, with a view to create more employment and raising the income of the producers.

The villagers contrieve all their work stages - ranging from producing to marketing - by their own. On the other hand, V©n Chàng has still not enough attention of scientific and technological programs which will be essential for the people to improve their technical appliance and increase the quality of their products to exist in the powerful competition.

Capital is very important for the production. The need for capital varies in the village, depending on each households production scale. The lack of capital and the difficulty to get a credit from the bank was often cited as a major problem for the craft enterprises. Especially the entrepreneurs referred that the procedures to get a credit are too complicated. The most successful entrepreneurs normally had or had had, bank credits, but most of the business seemed to be financed by their own capital or by the capital of friends and relatives. Most of the villagers have not the capital to improve their technical appliance and production site.

Looms were produced locally and some special purpose equipment seemed homemade or produced by some local blacksmith or mechanical workshop. Drying equipment for various agriculture products was often some kind of locally built oven or equivalent. As many of the production units were selling their products only on the local market or within the district, the products were either not packed at all or simply packed into plastic bags.

Over 400 years the life in V©n Chàng circled around the tool industry, which employs almost 3,000 local residents and 1,000 workers from nearby villages.

The problems have been exacerbated by a severe shortage of skilled workmen, bad business management in arts and crafts production and the lack of interest in training skilled handicraft workers. To address the training problem Nam §Þnh authorities and the handicraft sector launched a project (more than one year ago), to improve the training of craftsmen in traditional craft villages and bring out workers who are educated to combine traditional culture with current market demands.

Together with the state policies (rules which aim to maintain craft villages) exists traditional village regulations. In some measurements they become obligatory unwritten rules of the village and are handed out to posterity. The regulations plays an effective role in preserving the village production tradition. There is no doubt, that craft artisans act timidly against new things and new technology. In addition to confide the secrets of the village from generation to generation is causing a conservative mind and slow reactions on market demands.

A broad range of other constraints have been mentioned in the survey. These includes, with varying degrees of seriousness, constraints such as availability of raw material, too small production facilities, low prices and high taxes.

There is a close interrelationship between living conditions and economic development. It is not a one-way connection but the relations are mutual.

The village originates from its old foundation and community habits, which are suitable for their life and for natural conditions. Living sites and production places are arranged around the centre of V©n Chàng, where the public buildings such as the communal houses, pagodas and ponds are.

The combination of living and production site is a specific characteristic of handicraft villages. There is no separation between working and living.

Usually the main labourers are the father and the first born sun with assistance from their wife and sometimes from the neighbours. Along with the manufacturing enlargement some households employ more work forces from neighbour villages, then production spaces are spontaneously expanded.

The birth rate diminished in recent years in ViÖt Nam and in V©n Chàng too. Family planning mission is implemented rather thoroughly. In our sample we found out an average size of 4.57 people per family living together in one household. This value is lower than the average value of the whole country (4.97). It indicates a good situation because with a small number of members in a family the living conditions increase.

Each family lives in their own house. The buildings are in good repair: Round about the half of the buildings is up to 10 years old and only a quarter is older than 20 years.

In all the technical equipment of the households is very good:

• Nearly 100% of the households have a radio and cassette player,
• 88% television,
• 27% a refrigerator,
• 24% a gas cooker.

There are 4.8 telephones per 100 persons. This rate is noticeable higher than in the province of Nam §Þnh (2.3) and the whole country (4.6).

So we can note that the economic and living situation in V©n Chàng seems to be good.

But there is a simple indicator which shows that living conditions in V©n Chàng may be not as good as it seems at first sight:

The average life expectancy in ViÖt Nam is about 67 years of age, but for the settlements involved in the metal working trade, the average life expectancy is less than 55 years of age and is accompanied by a high degree of cancerous, neurotic and pulmonic diseases.

Thus a part of our survey concerned with the health of the people.

About the physical condition we can note:

Adults (older than 17 years and without those who have had a traffic accident and without disabled veterans; on a 4-level-scale: not at all / hardly / a little / heavy) complain of a little or heavy (that means constant pain)

• backache (36%)
• painful joints (22%)
• headache (35%).

In the self-assessment (4-level-scale: very good / good / less good / bad) 11,0% of the people call their own physical condition in general as bad and 11,3% the actual condition as bad. The combination - condition in general as well as the actual - describe 9.3% with the attribute bad.

The two positive attributes opposed to the both negative attributes shows that less than 40% of the adults characterize themselves positive.

Concerning different kinds of work (jobs) there is no significant distinction: Weather they are teacher, retailer or working in an office the strain is the same as for the blacksmiths and mechanics.

Because the other papers concern in the ecological impacts, problems and possible solutions of the metal production processes in detail we do not deepen this topic here.

But we like to note that there is already a perception of the environmental pollution.

The opinion of the people in V©n Chàng do not differ from the meanings of other population groups in the world: Health is the most important matter in their life (see tab. 3).

Table 3. The importance of the matter of life

A little bit surprising is that a "clean environment "is just as important as the income for most of the people. So we can realize that the information and the awareness exists already!

In recent years, people did recognize their careless of the living and working conditions. This change in awareness seems to be documented in the following rate: 90% of the interviewed people agree with the building of biology tanks to treat waste water.

ViÖt Nam takes part in the global efforts on the way of sustainable development. But especially in rural areas there are difficult conflicting goals: Economic development spoils the natural environment and not only impairs the living conditions but also threatens the health of the people.

Thus first we have to reduce the pollution. For this you need the awareness of the local people.

In V©n Chàng the population knows about the problems and danger of environmental pollution. They welcome the plan to collect the effluent centralized. But the whole process is going on too slow.

Finding a solution for the problems will be difficult. So far, the proposals carried out so far will be able to deal with the village’s contradiction.

To summarize: To reduce the pollution the production methods have to be improved.

 The economic development should harmonize with social, environmental and health improvement.

1. §µo Huy Quý and Co-Authors, 2000. A summary of the existing environment state of craft oriented villages in Nam §Þnh province. In: International Workshop "Environmental protection, community health for sustainable development of craft manufacturing settlements in Nam §Þnh. p. 20-22.

2. §inh V¨n S©m and Co-Authors, 2001. Vietnamese national industrial overview. National report prepared for Rio+10. Manuscript.

3. Bïi V¨n V­îng, 1998. The craft villages of ViÖt Nam, Hà Néi.

4. Ph¹m Gia Khiªm, 2002. Vietnam. Statement at the WSSD in Johannesburg.

5. Socialist Republic of ViÖt Nam, 1998. Government Direction on Agriculture and Rural Development.

6. TrÇn V¨n §¹i, TrÇn V¨n LuËn, 1997. Creation of job throught the preservation and development of craft village . Hà Néi.

7. TrÇn Ngäc Thªm, 1996. ViÖt Namese culture, HCMC

8. TrÇn Quèc V­îng, 1996. Preservation and development of the craft villages, Hà Néi.