Ho Chi Minh City is the first locality in the country to announce the Digital Transformation Program under Decision No. 2393/QD-UBND; followed by the Implementation Plan of the Program “Digital Transformation of Ho Chi Minh City in 2021” issued by the City People’s Committee in early March 2021. In order to carry out the tasks to achieve the set goals, HCMC needs many tools to implement. In particular, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City said that they will prioritize the establishment of professional center models to promote digital transformation in key areas of the City. The first phase will establish DXCenter in the downtown area to focus on promoting digital transformation activities in the locality, acting as a bridge between different components of the digital economy, creating resonance brings the highest efficiency to digital transformation. 1 of the 5 basic functions of DXCenter are promote innovation startup ecosystem, support individuals and businesses to research and develop digital technology products (Artwork: Executive production at AA factory). DXCenter will have 5 basic functions. Firstly, promote activities to connect supply and demand, transfer technology, test digital technology products, act as an intermediary linking components of the digital economy. Secondly, implementing activities to renew thinking and awareness about digital transformation through events, training programs, coaching, communication programs on digital transformation. Third, promote the innovation startup ecosystem, support individuals and businesses to research and develop digital technology products. Fourth, implementing international cooperation programs on digital transformation, promoting cooperation with prestigious partners in the world; seek funding sources for Vietnam’s digital transformation projects. Fifth, evaluate and appraise the quality and effectiveness of technology products; supporting research, development, improvement and upgrading of technology products and solutions. In the near future, DXCenter’s leadership will quickly implement specific activities, focusing on working directly with a team of in-depth consultants in key digital economy fields. Along with that, connecting with the leading technology business community, especially with information technology associations; media agencies to develop communication topics to raise awareness about digital transformation to individuals and businesses of Ho Chi Minh City; deploying communication activities, events, training, consulting programs to connect supply and demand. At the same time, DXCenter will be built into a “common house” on digital transformation, including thematic spaces on digital economy, digital infrastructure, digital government, digital society; space to display and introduce digital technology products and solutions. Data about these products and solutions will also be digitized on the DX-eHub platform, integrated with evaluation and testing functions, etc. to help customers easily find suitable products.

Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine is given to people in Dubai, UAE on February 28, 2021. Photo: AFP/VNA According to the above official, Big Data technology will help UAE health authorities control the COVID-19 pandemic more effectively. In the future, the country will have more “digital” hospitals so that people can access telemedicine solutions more often. AlAjme expert affirmed that the UAE has enough modern infrastructure to provide the best healthcare services. This is in line with the UAE government’s Information Technology Strategy 2021 and the National Innovation Strategy, which focuses on efforts to make the UAE a fully “digital” country. In addition, the “UAE Vision” plan also focuses on applying cloud computing to create positive changes in the healthcare sector. The UAE currently has two laws in place regarding healthcare providers. The first is the Law on Health Information Technology, which regulates the use of technology in healthcare. The second is the law on medical examination and treatment processes and procedures for parties building telemedicine systems. In fact, high-tech infrastructure and the development of the health sector are the “backbone” of the UAE in the current fight against COVID-19. Decisions about distributing preventive vaccines, opening field hospitals or building isolation areas are all based on digitized real data. Last year, the UAE Ministry of Health also implemented the Tatmeen digital platform to secure the supply chain in the healthcare industry. This platform helps to track medical products in the supply chain, helps promote transparency, prevents unauthorized or expired products.

The report calls for the development of legal requirements for the recycling and reuse of critical raw materials. (Source: voanews.com) A report by European Union The (EU)-backed study says the recovery of rare materials from e-waste is a security requirement for Europe and should be legislated. According to the EU-funded CEWASTE report, critical raw materials – including gold, silver and cobalt in many electronics – can be recycled and reused. This will protect raw material supply for consumer electronics, even Europe’s defense industry. Even these rare materials are essential for wind turbines and electric cars. They therefore play an important role in helping countries meet climate protection goals and ensure competitiveness in manufacturing. However, the report notes that while supplies of these essential materials are vulnerable to geopolitical fluctuations, Europe is still too dependent on foreign supplies with recycling rates “close to equals 0.” According to the report, the low and volatile prices of many of these raw materials make recycling them often seen as too costly for businesses. The report calls for the development of regulatory requirements for the recycling and reuse of critical raw materials, financial incentives to support the industry, and increased control over the amount of e-waste that is exported. leave the EU. The report highlights some types of e-waste that have large enough raw materials to be recovered. These include printed circuit board materials from discarded electrical equipment; batteries from e-waste and scrap cars; iron boron neodymium magnets from hard drives and motors of electric bicycles, scooters and scrap cars; and fluorescent powder from cathode ray tubes and lamps in television sets and displays. CEWASTE says these materials are often present in very small quantities in individual categories, so they are often overlooked. For example, the report estimates that by 2025, the waste of fluorescent lamps in Europe will contain 92 tons of critical raw materials, while printed circuit boards in electronic waste of this area can hold up to 41 tons of silver and 10 tons of gold. The report states that the amount of the above material will be equivalent to that used to produce new items. A United Nations (UN) report shows that the world generated more than 50 million tons of e-waste in 2019. Much of this ended up in landfills and scrap yards. With an estimated 17% of electronic products being recycled, the UN says more than $55 billion worth of materials are wasted each year as the world has to extract more materials to make products. new./.

Workers work at an e-waste collection center in Ploufragan, western France. Photo: AFP/VNA According to the European Union (EU) funded CEWASTE e-waste report, circuit boards, magnets in drives and electric vehicles, batteries and fluorescent lamps are among the items containing important raw materials. , including gold, silver and cobalt, can be recycled and reused. However, these rare materials often make up a very small percentage of each item thrown away, making them often overlooked. For example, the report estimates that by 2025, discarded fluorescent lamps in Europe will contain 92 tonnes of vital raw materials. Printed circuit boards in the region’s e-waste could contain up to 41 tons of silver and 10 tons of gold by 2025. Meanwhile, Europe’s supply chains have become “too vulnerable”, especially is the defense industry, as noted by Mr. Pascal Leroy – one of the authors of the report. The production of items in Europe, from computer systems to drones, is largely dependent on external supplies. As a result, the report highlights that recycling e-waste will help protect vital supplies for consumer electronics and even the European defense industry. In addition, with the materials needed to make wind turbines and electric cars, items that are discarded if recycled also play an important role in meeting climate change and environmental goals. improve the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry. The report also highlights some types of e-waste that are said to have sufficient raw materials to be recycled and recovered. These include printed circuit board materials obtained from discarded electronic equipment; batteries from e-waste and scrap cars; neodymium iron boron magnets from the hard drives and motors of electric bicycles and scooters, and fluorescent powder from lamps and cathode ray tubes found in televisions and television screens. The researchers found that many raw materials have low value and are volatile, meaning that recycling them is considered too expensive for businesses. The report therefore calls for legislation on the recycling and reuse of critical raw materials, financing to support the recycling industry, and better control of shipments of waste. e-waste is transported out of the EU. According to the “Global Electronic Waste Monitoring 2020” report published by the United Nations (UN) in July last year, in 2019, there were a total of 53.6 million tons of e-waste worldwide. , up 21% from 5 years ago. In which, Asia is the largest producer with about 24.9 million tons, followed by the Americas 13.1 million tons and Europe 12 million tons. Meanwhile, the amount of e-waste in Africa and Oceania is 2.9 and 0.7 million tons, respectively. Of the more than 53 million tons of e-waste generated, only 17% of the waste is recycled, with the rest going to landfills, incineration or simply not being treated. This means that an amount of rare materials such as gold, silver … worth up to 55 billion USD “presents” in e-waste that has been thrown away or burned instead of being collected for treatment. and reuse. Meanwhile, the exploitation of raw materials has been promoted in many countries to create new products, causing environmental concerns.