A workshop recently took place in Da Nang with its spotlight on discussing the implementation of the ‘ASEAN-Norway Cooperation Project on Local Capacity Building for Reducing Plastic Pollution in the ASEAN Region’ (ASEANO) in the city in the coming time.

The larger-than-life ‘Goby swallowing plastic waste’ model set in Da Nang conveys the message of protecting the ocean and the marine environment, and promoting civilised lifestyle in the local community.

The event was jointly held by the Viet Nam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment), the Norwegian Embassy in Viet Nam, the Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The Norwegian government-funded project aims to enhance cooperation with a range of stakeholders, both formal and informal, to improve plastic management practices along the whole plastic value chain, and to contribute to meeting sound reduction targets through capacity-building and knowledge-sharing.

The project will also develop cost-effective and standardized methods of monitoring plastic waste in rivers and identify key sources of plastic leakage to develop targeted responses.
ASEANO will initially focus on selected pilot catchments in Indonesia and the Philippines, with plans of expanding to Viet Nam and possibly other ASEAN countries.

The knowledge developed will be relevant and transferable to other catchments in the ASEAN region, and will help the ASEAN countries to meet sound reduction targets both nationally and regionally.

Da Nang is the only city in Viet Nam to be selected to join the highly practical project.

Addressing the seminar, Ms Grete Lochen, Norwegian Ambassador to Viet Nam and Laos, said marine debris is one of the deeply concerning challenges facing the marine environment in many countries today. 

She highly praised Da Nang for carrying out practical programmes and making commitments to sustainable development trends, and especially, its ambitious target to become an environmentally-friendly city by 2025.

It is hoped that a close cooperative relationship between ASEANO partners and organisations in Da Nang, and Viet Nam as a whole, will be established in a bid to build capacity and develop more effective measures to combat plastic pollution.

This workshop, therefore, acted as an important step for building cooperation and networking, identifying key ASEANO project priorities in Viet Nam and offering supportive resources to Da Nang.

VASI Deputy Director General Nguyen Que Lam said his agency, for the time being, is coordinating with a number of international partners such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Viet Nam National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) to implement activities to combat plastic waste effectively.

A representative of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment highly appreciated the implementation of the ASEANO project for contributing to boosting the fight against plastic waste.

In particular, it is necessary to develop specific mechanisms and policies for businesses participating in the chain of collecting and treating recyclable waste after sorting at source, especially plastic trash.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP – Translating by A.T