The workshop was jointly held by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Vietnam, Expertise France (EF), and the German Cooperation Organisation (GIZ).
Benefitting the Asian countries of China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam, the project is funded by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
In Vietnam, it is being implemented by EF, with the overall goal of supporting the implementation of the EU’s plastic strategy in the region, towards further strengthening cooperation between the EU and regional countries in promoting the circular economy and plastic waste treatment and reducing marine waste.
Pilot activities are expected to contribute to resolving plastic waste-related challenges in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and central Phu Yen province, with the specific goal of reducing the amount of plastic waste not treated on land and at sea.
Accordingly, in HCM City, the project will focus on collecting, classifying, and recycling plastics packaging and managing waste from ships at seaports. Meanwhile, a supermarket alliance will be established in Hanoi to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags at supermarkets and retail outlets, and in Phu Yen the project will support the formation of a volunteer team to collect marine waste and bring collected waste ashore.
Apart from pilot activities, MoNRE will also coordinate with EF and other relevant agencies in Vietnam to support the building of key strategies and policies to effectively reduce and manage plastic waste.
Rui Ludovino, First Counsellor in charge of climate action, environment, employment, and social policy at the Delegation of the EU to Vietnam, highlighted the significance of the project, saying that his agency will work closely with Vietnam to minimise marine plastic waste and share the experience of European countries in this endeavour.
He expressed a hope that the pilot activities will become models and inspire policy-making and initiatives in the future.
According to the Director General of MoNRE’s International Cooperation Department, Pham Phu Binh, the Vietnamese Government in general and the ministry in particular have affirmed that they are very much interested in seeking urgent and long-term solutions to reducing plastic pollution and promoting economic development in line with a circular economic approach.
Source: VNA