On August 20, Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc received a courtesy call from Ms. Ramla Khalidi, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Viet Nam, according to the HCMC E-web portal.
The reception took place as part of the Demo Day 2026 event under the Plastics Innovation Program in Viet Nam, which aims to seek and promote innovative solutions to the plastic waste treatment problem.
Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc stated that, along with urbanization and socio-economic development, waste treatment is becoming a special concern for the City. HCMC is gradually shifting its waste treatment methods toward modernization; however, a major current challenge is that most domestic waste remains mixed and unsorted at the source, creating difficulties for collection, treatment, and recycling.
Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc converses with Ms. Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam. Photo: HCMC E-web portal.Among these, plastic waste needs special attention because of its large volume, long decomposition time, and the risk of negative environmental impacts if not properly collected, sorted, and recycled.
Highly appreciating the significance of Demo Day 2026, the Chairman of the City People's Committee expects the event to bring practical experiences, initiatives, and solutions for HCMC in waste treatment, especially plastic waste; while simultaneously creating a spillover effect, promoting the participation of the community and businesses in waste sorting, recycling, and treatment activities.
On the UNDP side, Ms. Ramla Khalidi highly praised HCMC's role as a dynamic economic center and a leading hub for innovation.
She believes HCMC can serve as a role model for other localities seeking to promote innovation and sustainable development.
According to Ms. Ramla Khalidi, besides converting waste into energy, UNDP desires to accompany HCMC in creating a waste treatment ecosystem with more comprehensive impacts, not only solving environmental issues but also creating socio-economic values, opening up new financial resources, and generating more jobs for citizens.
Ms. Ramla Khalidi stated that the plastic waste problem needs to be viewed in a larger picture, where plastic treatment and recycling are not just environmental protection activities but can also become a driving force to attract investment, promote innovation and build new value chains in HCMC.