Solid waste management discussed in Vientiane
The CIDA-AIT Partnership, Southeast Asia Urban Environmental Management Applications (SEA-UEMA) Project under the Urban Environmental Management field of study will be co-organizing a policy dialog on Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Vientiane, Lao PDR on 24 March 2006 with the Urban Research Institute, Ministry of Communication, Transport, Post and Construction, Lao PDR. AIT has an agreement with the Lao institute as its facilitating partner for co-organizing and carrying out the various activities of the SEA-UEMA project.
With rapid urbanization, many municipalities have failed to provide satisfactory services and effectual management of the waste in terms of collection, disposal sites and aftercare. While there is generally a lack of budget and manpower for managing solid waste, other constraints and obstacles arise due to translating policy into implementation. Upon identification of the need to improve solid waste management activities in Vientiane, the project has implemented an alumni demonstration project, 'Strengthening and Supporting Nongnak Village Solid Waste Management,' in the city through AIT graduate Mr. Xeng Xiong Nengxay.
The policy dialog is being co-organized upon completion of this demonstration project. The dialog is primarily aimed at understanding general solid waste management problems, policies and strategies in Vientiane. The event will be used to understand and highlight the lessons learned from the demonstration as well as policy implications from it.
The other salient features of the event is to understand good practices and lessons learned from other municipalities; to identify problems and constraints in policy translation and implementation; and to exercise gender related concerns in solid waste management in the city.
The one-day event will be held in the Lao language to enable a wider audience and better expression of issues and concerns. The targeted participants for the policy dialog would entirely be from Lao PDR in general, and Vientiane in particular. Participation would comprise mainly policy makers and implementers, urban planners, non-governmental organizations,
Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and women's organization. In addition, private-sector companies involved in solid waste management, academics and media will participate. National strategies, policies and local practices on solid waste management will be discussed, enabling establishment of a framework for translating policies and strategies into implementation.