On Wednesday morning, Nguyen Minh Quang, Minister, Natural Resources and Environment, Viet Nam, and Tran Hong Ha, Vice-Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, co-chaired the session that discussed and adopted the “Ha Noi 3R Declaration – Sustainable 3R Goals for Asia for 2013-2023.” The Declaration presented around 30 goals applying to waste management in urban, industrial and rural areas. It also addressed new and emerging waste, such as electronic waste, mining waste, and plastics in the coastal and marine environment. Participants also adopted a set of core indicators, included in the annex to the declaration.

Minister Quang welcomed the adoption of the Ha Noi 3R Declaration and the “considerable results” of the forum, expressing appreciation for the support of the Government of Japan and the UNCRD. He emphasized that the approval of the Ha Noi 3R Declaration, including specific goals up to 2023, will be the basis for countries to develop their own goals and objectives, and called for common efforts and cooperation towards a green economy in Asia.

In the afternoon, forum representatives participated in a field trip to the Bát Tràng traditional ceramic craft village. In a presentation to the group, the Bát Tràng People’s Committee Vice-Chairman and the Bát Tràng Ceramics Association Chairman, described previous pollution issues in the area, and the improvements achieved through the introduction of gas-fueled kilns and energy-efficient technology.

Participants visited the Hoang Long ceramics factory to view an energy-efficient kiln and the ceramics production process, and then continued to spend the rest of the day at the Bát Tràng ceramics market.