Launching Ceremony of the Press Award in “Mitigating Marine Plastic Debris”

As published on Kinh te do thi on 11 October 2021 – On 9 October, VTC News, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the “Mitigating Marine Plastic Debris” project management board co-organised a launching ceremony of the Press Award in “Mitigating Marine Plastic Debris”.

Attending the launching online were central and local media agencies and journalists. The ceremony was broadcast live on VTC14 and livestreamed on VTC News Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The launching ceremony was organised online

Speaking at the launching, Mr. Luu Anh Duc, Vice chairperson of the “Mitigating Marine Plastic Debris” project management board in Viet Nam, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Viet Nam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI), mentioned the national report on the state of marine and island environment from 2016 to 2020, published by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) in early August 2021, showed that the current plastic waste situation, including marine plastic debris, is a hot issue globally, especially in coastal countries like Viet Nam.

Recognizing the importance of solving the marine plastic pollution, the Vietnamese government has renewed policies, increased communication activities to raise people’s awareness on plastic pollution and marine plastic debris, in which, mass media is the main means of communication.

“The Press Award in “Mitigating Marine Plastic Debris” is not only to encourage reporters and journalists to participate in writing articles on environmental topics, but also to motivate everyone to work closer together towards conveying the message of protecting our living environment,” said Mr. Luu Anh Duc.

Mr. Hoang Thanh Vinh, Programme Analyst on Waste, Plastic and Circular Economy, UNDP Viet Nam shared: “Every minute, while we are sitting here, more than 1 million single-use plastic bottles are sold worldwide. Every year 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic is also creating challenges for plastic waste pollution prevention and control because part of the financial resources is reduced. The use of fast food and delivery services has also increased the use of plastic bags and plastic waste generation.”

A representative of the organiser announcing the Award’s regulations

“UNDP is currently working with the Vietnamese government and the people to carry out many activities to prevent plastic waste. Specifically, UNDP have provided technical support to the National Action Plan for Management of Marine Plastic Litter; organised a competition to find initiatives to contribute to solving the plastic pollution problem in four ASEAN countries including Viet Nam, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines; implemented socialised models of domestic waste and plastic management in five cities/provinces of Quang Ninh, Da Nang, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan and Binh Duong. UNDP is also working with the VASI to promote the development and implementation of a scheme to support Viet Nam negotiating for an international agreement on marine plastic litter”, said Mr. Hoang Thanh Vinh

The Press Award in “Mitigating Marine Plastic Debris” is open for submissions from 9 October to 25 November 2021. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on 10 December 2021 in Ha Noi. All entries on the topics of the award, published on online newspapers and/or informational websites licensed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications are eligible to apply.