From transport to health, food to construction and textiles, plastics are among the most abundant materials in our economy. Globally, the plastic industry is valued at USD 600 billion and provides employment to millions of people worldwide.

Climate Action Peer Exchange (CAPE) is a forum for peer learning, knowledge sharing, and mutual advisory support.

Rapid urbanization has the potential to improve the well-being of societies. If managed prudently, it can transform the development course of economies.

Over 80% of worldwide new coal-fired power plants due to begin operating between now and 2020 will be in middle-income countries in Asia: China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Pakistan.

Health systems around the world are working to tackle the challenge of ageing populations and a rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and chronic conditions.

In the light of rapid economic growth and increasing investments, the Inspectorate Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPII) faced challenges arising from an increased workload as well as integrity issues including fraud and corruption.

Countries must license medical professionals to ensure health safety and service quality. Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MOH) was tasked with developing a medical registration and licensing system for Vietnam that would meet Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) standards.

To help reduce poverty, the Government of Vietnam sought to consolidate and modernize social protection programs. Vietnamese officials visited China and India to learn about ways to design, target, and manage social protection and social insurance programs.

As in many other East Asian countries, the number of people living in poverty in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam has declined in the past decade. However, persisting poverty in less advantaged geographic areas and ethnic groups is still a challenge.

Like other cities in rapidly industrializing Vietnam, fast-growing Ho Chi Minh City must invest in urban transportation, including new and better roads, a metro network, and a modern bus rapid transit (BRT) system.

The government of Vietnam (GOV) wanted to reform its inadequate and corrupt social security administration in favor of a modern, fair, and transparent system. Although the government had outlined a strategy, it felt that the country did not have the institutional capacity to implement it, and so it looked to the World Bank for help.

The Government of Vietnam wanted to establish e-government procurement (eGP) using a public-private partnership (PPP) model to improve government transparency.  However, Vietnam lacked the know-how for contracting with service providers who could install the e-system.

To strengthen municipal infrastructure financing as part of a larger urban development plan, Vietnam participated in an exchange with Colombia. The Vietnamese learned about the institutional, legal, regulatory, and operational frameworks of municipal development funds (MDFs).

To ensure that Vietnam’s macroeconomic and structural policies could contribute to sustainable economic growth in the wake of the 2008-2009 global economic crisis, government officials participated in an exchange with Indonesia, Mexico, and Chile.

To address disproportionately high rates of poverty among ethnic minorities, the Government of Vietnam planned several national assistance projects in the poorest regions of the country.