Representatives of organisations announce the Plastic and Health Action Partnership. — Photo courtesy of ISPONRE

HÀ NỘI — The Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) co-ordinated with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on the launch of the “Plastic and Health Action Partnership” (PHA) in Hà Nội on Friday.

The PHA is part of progress of the Local Solution for Plastic Pollution (LSPP) sponsored by the USAID and Center for Supporting Green Development (GreenHub), co-operating with three other partners.

In Việt Nam, it is estimated that there is 25 million tonnes of solid domestic waste each year, and 10-20 per cent of it is plastic.

The percentage of plastic waste and single-use nylon bags in Việt Nam's urban areas has rapidly increased, accounting for 10 to 20 per cent of domestic solid waste.

Solving plastic pollution problems requires the joint efforts of many parties, such as Governmental bodies, international organisations, NGOs, research institutes, universities and businesses, said Nguyễn Trung Thắng, ISPONRE deputy director, at the launch ceremony.

“Establishing PHA can be considered as an opportunity to recruit the participation of all related groups to help in reducing the harm of plastic pollution on human health,” he added.

Christine Gandomi, USAID acting director office of Environment and Energy, stated that the partnership would mark the beginning of a new era of collaboration, exchange of knowledge and good practices around plastic pollution challenges.

PHA would be among the first partnerships focusing on plastic and its impacts on human health, she said.

“This exchange and dialogue will help us address pressing development challenges in Việt Nam,” she added.

PHA has mobilised 18 organisations in Việt Nam. They are partners from international organisations, Government, NGOs, research institutes and universities.

In the future, PHA will support departments and localities all over the country to carry out policy advocacy activities related to plastic and health; build and contribute to a datacentre; boost communication activities; raise awareness on the relationship between plastic and health; and deploy pilot models to reduce plastic pollution across the country. — VNS