Accelerate the transition towards a circular economy in Vietnam
The circular economy capacity building programme for small and medium enterprises, financed by the Netherlands, UNDP and other partners, will be implemented.
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| Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Vietnam, Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, and Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Vietnam, Ms. Elsbeth Akkerman, signed a cooperation agreement. (Photo: UNDP, Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam) |
The Netherlands Embassy in Vietnam and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will execute a circular economy capacity building program for businesses in Vietnam.
The capacity building programme for small and medium enterprises, financed by the Netherlands, UNDP and other partners, aims to deliver knowledge on the circular economy, government policies on circular economy development and European-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) requirements for sustainable trade. The overall aim is to inspire and deliver practical guidelines for the transition towards circular economy principles and implementation. The program will be jointly executed by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE), the Environmental Economic Policy Institute (EEPI), Hue Innovation Hub (Hi Hub), the Institute for Circular Economy Development (ICED) and the Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands. The second circular economy capacity building program will be organized from June 2022.
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| The Netherlands and UNDP cooperate to promote the transition to a circular economy in Vietnam. (Photo: UNDP, Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam) |
Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam highlighted “The circular economy transition within an enterprise requires both change in awareness and behavior of shifting production and business activities towards green and sustainable, besides the environmental and economic benefits. Small and medium enterprises account for 96% of the total number of businesses in Vietnam, employing 47% of the labor force and contributing 36% to the gross domestic product. The sector therefore plays a crucial role in increasing the adoption, implementation and operation of circular business models, low-carbon technologies, and clean technologies.”
“The transition towards a circular economy is the only way to make our economies, societies and planet greener and healthier. Through the capacity building program that we are launching today, we expect Vietnamese enterprises to be equipped with practical knowledge and expertise to develop their own circular business models,” said Ms. Elsbeth Akkerman, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Vietnam.
In 2021, UNDP - together with the embassies of Norway, the Netherlands and Finland - cooperated with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) in developing the "Vietnam Circular Economy Hub" (CE Hub). The objective of the CE Hub is to raise awareness and build capacity for all stakeholders (public authorities, businesses, civil society, and academia) to adopt circular economy principles, create synergies and integrate financial and technical resources. Under the CE Hub, a Circular Economy Stewardship Group was established. UNDP, ISPONRE, Hanoi Foreign Trade University (FTU) and Da Nang Business Incubator (DNES) successfully organized the 1st Circular Economy Training Program for business, where we have two Training of Trainers for 47 trainees who are lecturers, experts and managers; and two CE training courses for 52 businesses.
(WVR)
