S. Korea funds waste management in Vientiane, Pakxe

The Republic of Korea will provide a grant of US$6.78 million to fund a wastewater and solid waste treatment capacity-building project for improved environmental management in Vientiane and Pakxe.
The Korean government will provide grant aid of US$6.5 million, while an additional US$280,000 will come from the Global Green Growth Institute.
The overall objective of the project is to enhance capacity to manage green city development and improve access to waste management and treatment services, including collection, waste-to-resource opportunities, and wastewater treatment.
An agreement on the project was signed in Vientiane on Friday by the Director General of the Department of Planning and Cooperation under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Mr Sengdarith Kattignasack; Resident Representative of the Korea International Cooperation Agency

(KOICA), Mr Sungsoo Oh; and Global Green Growth Institute Country Representative, Mr Jaeseung Lee.
The discussion signing ceremony was witnessed by the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mrs Vilaykham Phosalath, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Laos, Mr Shin Sung-soon.
Under the agreement, the project will be carried out from 2019-2024.
It comprises a vision for green cities and action plan for Vientiane and Pakxe, implementation strategy for solid waste management, deployment of a waste-to-resource initiative and facilities in Vientiane and Pakxe, and improvement of the national urban sanitation strategy.
The project is in line with the government’s long-term goals, which integrate the National Green Growth Strategy into the Public Works and Transport Department’s Strategy for 2016-2025 and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport’s 5-year Development Plan for 2016-2020. These are aimed at ensuring sustainable and green infrastructure development.
Since 2017, the ministry and the Global Green Growth Institute have been discussing the development of green cities. The two partners agreed to focus on wastewater and solid waste management, which are seen as key areas requiring urgent action.
The two sides prioritised the most urgent needs and agreed that the cities of Vientiane and Pakxe should apply to the government of Korea for funding for solid waste and wastewater management, which was approved this year.  
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Jaeseung Lee said that over the past two years, the Lao government, KOICA, and the Global Green Growth Institute had worked very hard to prepare and plan for this project.
With generous funding from KOICA, the project will work towards the common goal of making the most of the green growth potential offered by Vientiane and Pakxe.
Mr Lee said he hoped the project would be successful and then replicated in other cities in Laos to ensure that all of the country’s urban residents have access to sustainable services.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update July 29, 2019)