Training Workshop on the Circular Economy for the Southern Region

31 Jan, 2024

On January 24, 2024, the Economy and Environment Partnership for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, in collaboration with the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, organized a training workshop on the circular economy (CE) for the southern region.

The workshop was attended by Dr. Mai Thanh Dung – Vice President of ISPONRE; Dr. Venkatachalam Anbumozhi – Director of Research Strategy and Innovation at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA); Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Khanh Nam – Rector of the UEH College of Economics, Law and Government and Dean of EEPSEA; along with over 60 delegates. Participants included representatives from units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), various departments and agencies, universities, research institutes, and experts in the fields of resource and environmental economics and the circular economy, primarily from the southern region.

An overview of the workshop.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Mai Thanh Dung stated that in Vietnam, developing circular economy models to efficiently utilize production outputs is a key task outlined in the 2021-2030 Socio-Economic Development Strategy for effective resource management, environmental protection, and climate change response. The circular economy has been enshrined in the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection and other regulations designed to promote its adoption. Notably, Decree No. 08/2022/NĐ-CP, dated January 10, 2022, provides specific guidance on the criteria, roadmap, and incentive mechanisms for implementing a circular economy. The 2020 Law on Environmental Protection requires ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and provincial People's Committees to integrate the circular economy from the earliest stages of developing strategies, plans, programs, and projects, as well as in the management, reuse, and recycling of waste.

Dr. Mai Thanh Dung delivers her opening remarks.

This training workshop is essential for disseminating knowledge and legal frameworks on the circular economy. It aims to help management agencies at all levels, as well as relevant organizations and individuals, identify best practices and priority action areas to meet the medium- and long-term goals of circular economy implementation plans within their respective sectors and jurisdictions.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Khanh Nam also noted that at the 2023 National Conference, "Circular Economy – A Pathway for Sustainable Development," organized by UEH last October, over 80 papers and research studies on the CE were presented, but they employed diverse concepts and approaches. Therefore, this training workshop, organized by ISPONRE, will be highly beneficial in standardizing methods for measuring and evaluating the value of the circular economy.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Khanh Nam shares his insights.

Throughout the workshop, presentations were delivered on a range of topics, including an overview of the legal and policy framework for the circular economy in Vietnam; the global context and the role of local governments in CE development; orientations and proposals for CE development in the southern region; methods and indicators for provincial-level CE evaluation and monitoring; results from measuring the circular economy at various levels in Vietnam; and the application of software to manage CE evaluation indicators. In addition, delegates from various localities engaged in discussions on building provincial-level action plans for implementing the circular economy.

Delegates engage in discussion.

In her closing remarks, Dr. Mai Thanh Dung expressed her confidence that the participants would gain a deeper understanding of the principles and strategies of the circular economy. This, in turn, will help them build action strategies tailored to the specific characteristics of their localities and the dynamic southern economic region. The workshop is expected to influence decision-making and policy planning, contributing to a more sustainable and circular future for the region. On behalf of ISPONRE, Dr. Mai Thanh Dung also thanked UEH's EEPSEA for its active support in successfully organizing the event.