UNESCO launches programme seeking youth ideas to eliminate plastic ocean

A ‘Youth Innovative Ideas for an Ocean without Plastic’ programme was launched in Hanoi on July 14 to boost the key role the youth play in developing ideas and implementing initiatives to deal with plastic waste in the ocean.

The landfill site at Eo Gio, Cu Lao Cham. (Photo: UNESCO)
The landfill site at Eo Gio, Cu Lao Cham. (Photo: UNESCO)

The programme is being held by UNESCO in cooperation with the Cu Lao Cham - Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve which is under the framework of the Youth and Innovation 4 Ocean Initiative as implemented by UNESCO in partnership with the Coca Cola Foundation.

The programme aims to provide training and mentoring to groups of youths and young professionals in order to empower them to use their creative ideas and talent to develop solutions regarding collecting, sorting, treating, recycling and reusing of plastic waste.

Participants in the programme will have the opportunity to propose their ideas, receive training, acquire on-site implementation experience and receive financial and technical support to implement their initiatives at the Cu Lao Cham - Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve, as well as to take part in other related national and regional UNESCO initiatives.

Three first prizes worth VND70 million each and three runners-up prizes worth VND10 million each will be given for the implementation of innovative ideas.

Youth and young professionals aged between 18-30 can submit their application forms and ideas via the link https://bit.ly/38IKe5s before 25 August 2020.

The results of the competition will be announced in mid-September 2020, and the Mentoring Program at the Cu Lao Cham - Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve is scheduled to begin at the end of September 2020 with the final round to be held in Hanoi in November 2020.