Viet Nam launches Marine Plastic Waste Plan Project

On November 14 in Hanoi, the Viet Nam Agency of Seas and Islands (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Viet Nam launched the project “Supporting the Implementation of the National Action Plan on Marine Plastic Litter in the context of Green Recovery post-COVID 19 in Viet Nam.”

The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through UNDP, with a total non-refundable ODA budget of USD 2 million. It will be implemented from 2025 to 2029 nationwide, with a pilot in Gia Lai Province. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment serves as the governing agency, while the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands is designated as the Project Owner.

The project aims to strengthen implementation of the National Action Plan on Marine Plastic Waste by 2030 through a “policy-to-practice” approach, simultaneously reducing plastic waste at the source and enhancing collection and recycling at the end of the supply chain. The three main components of the project are: improving the policy and institutional framework; promoting behavior change and piloting circular economy models in Gia Lai; and knowledge management, monitoring, and scaling up of successful models.

The project aims to reduce 500 tons of single-use plastics; collect 2,000 tons of recyclable plastic waste, including 200 tons of low-quality plastics; and restore 7.2 km² of marine habitat. Around 100 people will directly benefit through training and employment opportunities, while over 125,000 people will benefit indirectly from reduced plastic pollution.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Toan, Director of the Viet Nam Agency of Seas and Islands, stated that Viet Nam’s marine economy has recently achieved significant results in shipping, tourism, fisheries, and offshore renewable energy. However, marine pollution, mainly marine plastic waste, has become a significant challenge to coastal ecosystems and community livelihoods. In 2019, the government issued the National Action Plan for managing marine plastic waste through 2030 to guide solutions for reducing plastic pollution.

The Director also emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic generated significant amounts of single-use plastic waste, underscoring the need for green recovery solutions and sustainable development. Therefore, the project is expected to provide practical support for the effective implementation of the National Action Plan, while contributing to Viet Nam’s goal of becoming a strong and prosperous maritime nation, in line with Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW dated October 22, 2018, on the strategy for sustainable development of Viet Nam’s marine economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Toan expressed his hope that UNDP, the People’s Committee of Gia Lai Province, and other stakeholders will continue to collaborate and provide support in activities and state management tasks related to sustainable marine economic development in general and marine plastic waste management in particular.

Ms. Francesca Nardini, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Viet Nam, praised Viet Nam’s commitment to reducing marine plastic waste and noted that the project will build upon and expand effective models already implemented, such as the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Quy Nhon and the “fishermen bring waste from sea to shore” initiative.

The UNDP representative highlighted several key factors to ensure timely and effective implementation, including the need to accelerate activities in the project’s first year, strengthen inter-sectoral coordination, establish a close coordination mechanism between the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands and Gia Lai Province, and mobilize at least USD 10 million in co-financing from multiple sources.

Francesca Nardini affirmed that UNDP will continue to accompany the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands throughout the project, ensuring full compliance with UNDP and GEF standards for monitoring, evaluation, and environmental and social safeguards. This will help strengthen marine plastic waste management capacity and promote a sustainable blue economy, moving toward a circular, low-emission future with oceans and coastal communities free from plastic waste in Viet Nam.

At the project launch workshop, representatives from the Gia Lai Department of Agriculture and Environment committed to collaborating with the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands and other stakeholders to implement the project. The focus will be on several models: sorting and collecting waste at the source in one urban and one rural area; expanding plastic waste collection in the fisheries sector at Quy Nhon Port; and reducing single-use plastics in food services and fishing to lower both plastic waste generation and overall water use and greenhouse gas emissions.