Systemic Design Workshop On Circular Economy and Waste Management in Da Nang

UNDP together with Alberta Colab and Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) organized a Systemic Design workshop on 25-27 November 2019 in Da Nang city on waste management as part of UNDP Viet Nam’s on-going efforts to support DONRE in tackling the serious environmental issues resulting from the overflow and poor management of waste. The workshop is part of a larger partnership between UNDP Regional Innovation Center and Alberta CoLab aimed at accelerating learning on both sides of the Pacific on circular approaches to waste.

In recent years, Da Nang is facing some serious environmental issues hindering its development as a tourist dream destination, with waste pollution being a burning issue. Therefore, the workshop convened relevant stakeholders from the waste management sector, including government officials, researchers, students, business owners, NGOs to develop a systemic understanding of the waste management system in Da Nang and design a portfolio of experiments that will help the local partners to learn about and address the issue. The core objectives of the workshop were: To develop a shared assessment of the present state of waste management in Da Nang;

1. To develop a shared assessment of the present state of waste management in Da Nang

2. To gain a shared understanding of how the current system came to be;

3. To develop a portfolio of initiatives to improve waste practices and system

The process was guided by a challenge question: “How might we leverage our assets to create better consumption and disposal practices?”