Hanoi: Digital applications to visualise material cycles and their roles to boost circular economy in Vietnam were spotlighted at a programme held in Hanoi on January 24. The event was organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Resource and Environment Communication Centre (RECC) in collaboration with the Environmental Generation and Material Cycles Bureau under the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. Speaking at the event, Deputy Director of the RECC Vu Minh Ly stressed that the Vietnamese Government has committed to realising the net-zero target by 2050 and is striving towards the goal by issuing an array of documents and regulations on the development of the sustainable economic growth model, and promotion of recycling. Meanwhile, Ko Matsuura from the Japan's environmental generation bureau said that the ministries of environment of the two countries signed cooperation deals in waste management work, 3R (reduce-reuse-recycle) projects, and development of smart industrial parks, a mong others. Japan, boasting considerable experience and advanced technologies, will contribute to improving the waste management in Vietnam, he added. According to Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Akira Hiroi, waste management is a universal issue that matters to every single nation across the globe. As the amount of waste in Vietnam has increased over time while the country's treatment models have shown irrationality, the Japanese Government hopes that it could contribute to the circular economy transition in Vietnam through not only existing cooperation programmes but also future ones. Experts and environmental managers at the event introduced the circular system of smart materials and the potential to branch out this system at Vietnamese industrial parks /. Source: Vietnam News Agency The Cambodia Development Cooperation Board of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDCB/CDC) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) held here at the CDC's headquarters on Jan. 25 their 'first bilateral meeting in 2024' to boost development cooperation and partnership between the two countries. The Cambodian side was led by H.E. Chhieng Yanara, Senior Minister in Charge of Special Missions and Second Vice-Chairman of the CDC, while the KOICA side was headed by Ms. Choi Moon Jung, Country Director of KOICA Cambodia Office. According to KOICA Cambodia Office's press release AKP received this afternoon, the main purpose of this meeting was to discuss candidate projects for 2025, new projects identification plan for 2026, and update on-going programmes. Both sides also touched on the preparation for the inauguration ceremony of a new building for the National Incubation Centre of Cambodia (NICC) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). During the meeting, Ms. Choi Moon Jung commend ed Cambodia for its swift progress across all domains and conveyed her heartfelt gratitude to the Royal Government of Cambodia and its officials, specifically the CDCB/CDC, for their excellent collaboration in ensuring the success of the KOICA's projects and programmes in Cambodia. H.E. Chhieng Yanara in return highly expressed his gratitude to KOICA, and the Government and people of the Republic of Korea, for continuously supporting Cambodia's socioeconomic development through the implementation of projects and programmes. He said that he highly valued all the achievements made by KOICA. Moreover, the two sides discussed continued cooperation on the Official Development Assistance (ODA) between Cambodia and Korea. They also laid stress on the next step of working between KOICA, CDC, and the Cambodian relevant ministries to develop the most feasible new projects for 2026. Last year, KOICA marks a milestone-the 20th anniversary of its presence in Cambodia. Since the establishment of its Cambodia Office on S ept. 1, 2003, KOICA has assisted the socio-economic development of Cambodia on four core-priority sectors, including Water Management and Public Health, Education, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Transport through various ODA projects and programmes of a total value of about US$366.5 million from 1991-2023. Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse