The British Council in Vietnam
The UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and education has a significant presence in Vietnam where it has operated since 1993.
In 2018, the British Council introduced a three year-long collaboration project ‘Fostering Creativity for a World without Waste’. Thua Thien-Hue province, in the North Central coastal region of Vietnam, was selected for the first phase of the project as a pilot site. The collaboration between the British Council, Coca Cola Vietnam and the Department of Education and Training of Thua Thien-Hue is aimed at delivering strategic training on waste management and implementing a number of environmental projects to raise awareness of waste management and particularly the problem of plastic waste blighting Vietnam and the rest of the world.
In late February, a policy dialogue was held in the city of Hue to mark the end of the project’s first phase. The ‘Policy Dialogue on Waste Management’ brought together key stakeholders to discuss the positive impacts of the project and was an opportunity for local and international delegates, local authority and community leaders to discuss and seek solutions in terms of policy and education programmes.
Wiser Environment supporting the British Council
Senior Consultant Joana Santos, who set up Wiser Environment’s Vietnam office, was invited to advise the project on how waste and resource management systems and treatment models in the UK are planned and implemented and could be scrutinised for adapting to the reality of Thua Thien-Hue province and inform the review of waste policy and programmes.
Joana attended the policy dialogue in Hue and contributed to a discussion of the issues. Read the highlights from the policy dialogue on waste management solutions in Hue.
Championing waste management in Vietnam going forward
Following the successful completion of the first phase of the project in Thua Thien-Hue province, the initiative will be delivered in three provinces in the Mekong Delta, in the South of Vietnam, from April 2019 until March 2020.
The programme will continue to enhance the understanding and behaviour of community members through a series of innovative trainings and campaigns on waste management creating a wider community of pioneering and changing agents.
Joana says: “We at Wiser are delighted to join in the implementation of this widely inspiring programme. It was a huge privilege to participate in the policy dialogue by sharing the core elements of the waste management strategy and its implementation in the United Kingdom with policy makers and community representatives, and meeting some of the participating students and teachers. Being introduced to their environmental projects and being able to sense their enthusiasm and motivation was superb. They will thrive as active advocates of environmental best practice in their communities.”
For further information about our environmental consultancy services in Vietnam, contact Joana Santos by email on joana@wisergroup.co.uk or by phone on (Vietnam) +84 92 152 36 14 or (UK) +44 1480 462 232.