The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) have entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate sustainable waste management and combat climate change in cities.

This collaboration is underpinned by the expertise of IGES's Centre Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental Technologies (CCET). CCET aims to enhance capacities of national and local governments in establishing integrated solid waste management system, policies and technologies towards achieving, among others, a sound material recycling society, climate change, low-carbon growth, and a green economy. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UN-Habitat and IGES, the inclusion of CCET's specialised expertise will significantly contribute to achieving the objectives of this partnership.

Under the MoU, the Parties will collaborate in the following areas:

Sharing Best Practices: IGES and UN-Habitat will exchange best practices and undertake joint projects to promote sustainable waste management within urban development contexts.

Data Collection and Analysis: The Parties will collaborate to collect data on municipal solid waste and GHG emissions using UN-Habitat's Waste Wise Cities Tool and IGES's Emission Quantification Tool. These tools will support informed decision-making for sustainable waste management systems.

Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing: Training programmes, workshops and seminars will enhance stakeholder capacities in sustainable waste management. Leveraging UN-Habitat's Waste Wise Cities and African Clean Cities Platform programmes, along with IGES's relevant initiatives, will facilitate knowledge exchange.

Global Advocacy and Awareness Raising: The Parties will advocate for sustainable waste management and raise awareness of the link between waste management, GHG emissions and climate change. Stakeholders from national and local governments, international organisations, city network, and academia will be engaged to foster global cooperation.

Data Sharing for Research and Publication: Waste-related data will be shared to support research and the development of knowledge products and publications.

This partnership between IGES and UN-Habitat will drive transformative change in waste management practices and contribute to global efforts in addressing climate change. By leveraging their expertise and networks, the Parties are committed to building sustainable and resilient cities.

About UN-Habitat
https://unhabitat.org/