Ha Noi, 26 February 2025 – The UN Development Programme has announced the launch of an innovative grant program aimed at combating plastic pollution across Viet Nam. This program will provide grants to support the development and implementation of sustainable and eco-friendly initiatives to reduce plastic pollution. 

The program is partly supported by the UN Peace and Development Fund (UNPDF) with contributions from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Especially, this is also co-funded by a partnership between The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) to help address the growing challenge of plastic waste management in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, supported by a $15 million grant from TCCF to support UNDP’s initiatives across the region. 

The three-year multi-country programme will help improve plastic waste management, promote recycling, reduce plastic leakage into the environment, foster country-based solutions, and facilitate regional collaboration. By adopting and disseminating the best practices across the region, the programme aims to inspire policy changes and community-level actions to reduce and help reduce plastic pollution and improve the livelihoods of waste workers.

Plastic Innovation Challenge in Viet Nam
Building on UNDP Viet Nam’s existing networks and collaboration frameworks, the launch of the Plastics Innovation Programme in 2025 this considered a key milestone of the regional UNDP-TCCF partership. The programme focuses on incubating and scaling up solutions in six innovation areas, including: materials, design, business model, technology, governance system, and financing instruments. These efforts aim to curb plastic pollution and prevent plastic waste leaking into rivers and oceans.

The programme will offer grants of up to USD 30,000 per project for six winners and up to USD 10,000 per project for six runners-up. Priorities will be given to women and youth groups, as well as NGOs, community-based organizations (CBOs), governmental and non-governmental academic or educational/research institutions (both national and international), and small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

While expanding successful initiatives, the programme will focus on developing innovative business models for waste collection and recycling, offering technical advice on the best environmental practices and tapping into the latest technology to improve collection and recycling, to reduce plastic leakage. 

“Through the programme, UNDP expects to source innovative solutions from a diverse range of stakeholders, address the entire plastic lifecycle by adopting a comprehensive approach that implements multiple solutions simultaneously for maximum impact, and strengthen the policy framework to enable innovations and scale up effective solutions through strong collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Science and Technology”, highlighted Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam.

A significant portion of the world’s plastic waste enters the ocean through waterways in Asia, posing serious threats to marine ecosystems, human health, and livelihoods. Sixteen of the twenty most polluting rivers in the world are in Asia, and account for more than two thirds of the annual global volume of plastic waste that flows to the oceans.

“Collaboration is key to help improve waste management systems and strengthen recycling infrastructure. Through our collaboration with UNDP, the Foundation aims to advance solutions that minimize packaging waste, support better collection methods, and enhance processing capabilities. This approach not only helps address plastic waste more effectively but also contributes to long-term improvements in local communities and the broader environment,” said Carlos Pagoaga, President, The Coca Cola Foundation. 

• Read the full Call here for Vietnamese version and English version.
• Submit application here.
• Download the proposal template here.
   

For more information and media inquiries, please contact:

UNDP Viet Nam
Phan Huong Giang, Media and Communication Analyst, 
Email: phan.huong.giang@undp.org

About the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 
As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. UNDP helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP’s work is centred around six signature development solutions: poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, energy and gender equality. Learn more at undp.org  or follow @UNDP

The Coca-Cola Foundation: The Coca-Cola Foundation’s mission is to make a difference in communities around the world where The Coca-Cola Company operates and where its employees live and work. It supports transformative ideas and institutions that address complex global challenges and leave a measurable and lasting impact. Its giving is focused on sustainable access to safe water, climate resilience and disaster risk preparedness and response, circular economy, economic empowerment, and causes impacting our hometown community. Since its inception in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded $1.6 billion+ in grants in service of its mandate to strengthen communities across the world.