Delegates taking part in the Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Chemicals and Waste (AWGCW-8) on Wednesday in Hà Nội. — Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

HÀ NỘI — The eighth Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Chemicals and Waste (AWGCW-8) with the theme of "For A Greener ASEAN" was held in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

Co-hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and the ASEAN Secretariat, the event is an occasion for ASEAN member states to review their cooperation in chemical and waste management over the past years and lay out orientations and principles of regional cooperation.

The main items on the agenda include updates on decisions of meetings in the ASEAN framework; implementation of the working group's plan of action; intersectoral initiatives on chemicals and waste; outcomes of Meetings of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions in 2022 and 2023; issues related to the Montreal Protocol and the Minamata Convention; and ASEAN cooperation with development partners and specialised agencies on chemicals and waste.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Võ Tuấn Nhân said that the meeting takes place in the context that environmental pollution caused by chemicals and waste is becoming one of the serious threats to human health and the planet. Particularly, the ASEAN region is also one of the hot spots of plastic pollution. 

Nhân said that as a responsible and active member of ASEAN, Việt Nam hopes to cooperate with the international community; strengthen cooperation in preventing illegal cross-border transport of chemicals and hazardous waste following international frameworks under multilateral environmental agreements. 

"Việt Nam will continue to implement environmentally-friendly management of hazardous chemicals and waste throughout their life cycle; reduce waste based on circular economy principles and in compliance with legal frameworks and existing national policies; and continue to improve the legal framework on the management of persistent organic pollutants and waste via the incorporation of international agreements and protocols into domestic laws,” he said.

In addition, Việt Nam will also strive to effectively implement regulations on environmental protection in the management of chemicals and waste, which have been included in the 2020 Environmental Protection Law, the 2007 Chemical Law (currently being revised by the Government and prepared for submission to the National Assembly for review), and other existing legal documents.

He stressed that Việt Nam will continue to work closely with other ASEAN member countries, non-ASEAN countries, and international partners to mobilise resources for capacity building, technology transfer, and experience sharing on the management of hazardous chemicals and wastes.

Founded in late 2015, the AWGCW convenes its meeting annually in rotation among ASEAN member states. — VNS