Waste Management – An urgent issue to be addressed at the local and municipal level to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and to fight climate change. Mayors’ dialogue on targeting Zero Waste

SIDE EVENT
Thursday 2 June
11:30-12:45 CEST
Stockholmsmässan, Room 5

Organizers: UNDP, Avfall Sverige – the Swedish Waste Management Association, The International Solid Waste Association

Archived video: Watch

About: Waste management has been a longstanding public concern due to its impact on human health, the environment and socio-economic development. The linear economy paradigm has resulted in increasing consumption of products made of virgin material and low level of recycling or reuse of important resources. The World Bank estimates that waste generation will increase waste generation will increase by 70% in 2050. At least 33% of this waste is mismanaged globally through open dumping or burning. More than two billion people lack access to waste collection and less than 2% of plastics used in packaging applications is reusable.

Local authorities, municipalities, cities, and regions play a pivotal role for waste management. Municipal waste management is a service of general interest; thus, all citizens should have equal access to waste management.

This event will support the aspiration of the leadership dialogue 1 through promoting systemic change toward zero-pollution and zero-waste societies to achieve a healthy planet and prosperity of all.

The event will bring together mayors of several cities and representatives of international and local organizations active on municipal waste management to discuss the issues faced, outline solutions, and forge new partnerships to tackle the issue.

Moderator(s): Tony Clark (Swedish Waste Management Association)

Panelists:

  • Carlos Silva (The International Solid Waste Association)
  • Xiaofang Zhou (UNDP)
  • Mary Matthews (UNDP)
  • Abdulla Naseer (Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Maldives)
  • Kavydass Ramano (Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mauritius)
  • Katarina Luhr (Vice Mayor of Stockholm)
  • Maria van Berlekom (Sida)
  • Yvonne Denise Aki-Sawyerr (Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone)
  • Ana Lucia Ferrero (Vice-mayor of Curridabat, San Jose, Costa Rica)
  • Sarto Nogueira (Mayor of Fortaleza, Brazil)

Contact person: Anna-Carin Gripwall (anna-carin.gripwall_at_avfallsverige.se)

Event outcomes (Key transformative actions):

  • Creation of a partnership between UN agencies, global, regional and local financial institutions, bilateral agencies, national and local governments, to act together to address waste management challenges in nations and municipalities especially in Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States and Middle-Income Countries.
  • Support countries, pilot municipalities and local governments to develop concrete plans and activities to achieve zero waste by 2030.
  • UNDP, Avfall Sverige and partners will, from 2022, establish a clearing house for communication of the zero-waste vision and delivery of supportive actions to municipalities. The partnership will include countries, cities, financial institutions, UN agencies, academia, Civil Society Organisations and private sector. The partners will strive to address technical, financial and governance challenges to advancing the zero-waste vision at the municipal level in a gender responsive approach, including supporting sustainable infrastructure and circular business models, while contributing to climate action and poverty reduction.

 


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