Press release: The Netherlands and UNDP cooperate to accelerate Vietnam’s transition to a circular economy | news

News Articles | 06/02/2022 | 11:58

Hanoi, June 2, 2022 – The Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will implement a circular economy capacity building program for businesses in Vietnam.

Funded by the Netherlands, UNDP and other partners, the capacity-building program for small and medium-sized enterprises aims to increase knowledge about the circular economy, government policies for circular economy development and the Euro-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) requirements for sustainable trade convey. The overarching aim is to inspire and provide practical guidance on moving towards the principles and implementation of the circular economy. The program is jointly run by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE), the Environmental Economic Policy Institute (EEPI), the Hue Innovation Hub (Hi Hub), the Institute for Circular Economy Development (ICED) and Saxion University conducted for Applied Sciences, Netherlands. The second circular economy capacity building program will be organized from June 2022.

Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Representative in Vietnam, stressed: “The transition to a circular economy in a company requires both a change in awareness and behavior in the transition of production and business activities to green and sustainable, in addition to the environmental and economic benefits. Small and medium-sized enterprises account for 96% of all businesses in Vietnam, employ 47% of the labor force and contribute 36% of gross domestic product. The sector therefore plays a crucial role in promoting the adoption, implementation and operation of circular business models, low-carbon technologies and clean technologies.”

“Transitioning to a circular economy is the only way to make our economies, societies and planet greener and healthier. We expect that through the capacity building program we are launching today, Vietnamese companies will 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 – supported the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) in the development of the “Vietnam Circular Economy Hub” (CE Hub). The aim of the CE Hub is to raise awareness and build capacity for all stakeholders (government, business, civil society and academia) to adopt circular economy principles, create synergies and integrate financial and technical resources. A Circular Economy Stewardship Group was established under the CE Hub. UNDP, ISPONRE, Hanoi Foreign Trade University (FTU) and Da Nang Business Incubator (DNES) successfully organized the 1st Circular Economy Training Program for Enterprises, where we have two training sessions of trainers for 47 trainees who are lecturers, experts and managers; and two CE training courses for 52 companies.

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