Special Session - Closing the Loop: Advancing Waste Management Towards Circular Economy (WUF13)

Okay.
I think we can start.
Yes.
Good afternoon, everybody.
Welcome to this session.
Welcome to this special session on closing the loop advancing waste management towards circular economy.
Here at Vk for the 13th session of the World Ud Forum.
My name is Aringelo I will be your MC for today's session on behalf of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific RAP at UN Habitat, we are so glad to have you all here as we gather today to discuss the growing challenges of municipal solid waste management and the subsequent issues brought by rapid urbanization, sing consumption, and inadequate infrastructure, especially in informal settlements.
Before we begin, a few housekeeping guidelines, please keep your mobile phone silent.
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Refrain from using flash photography.
Feel free to take photos, but please kindly avoid blocking the view of others.
At Wolf, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible event environment for all attendees.
If you require any assistance, have difficulty accessing any parts of the venue or need materials in an alternative format, please speak to our event staff and please do not hesitate to ask.
Your comfort and inclusion are important to us.
So with all that said, we have an exciting and insightful lineup ahead.
So let's start to officially open our event, please help me to welcome miss Kasuki Higaki, our regional director for UN Habitat.
Please, miss Higai Distinguished speakers, colleagues, partners, and all participants, welcome and thank you for joining this special session.
Good afternoon.
I'm Kasko Igaki Regional Director for Asia in the Pacific UN Habitat.
As an organizer of this special session, I'd like to express my sincere appreciation to all speakers, partners, and contributors who have supported the organization of this session under the Steen's World Urban Forum at Paku.
Please allow me to explain why we consider this session to be extremely important.
Globally, we are seeing increasing efforts to move beyond traditional waste management approaches and to explore more integrated and innovative solutions.
This includes shifting towards circular systems, revisiting and improving production systems, and supply chain and looking at climate impact and ensuring that no communities, especially those in vulnerable situations are left behind.
In Asia Pacific region, which my office has been supporting, urban solid waste has become one of the most Mandos region's fastest growing environmental challenges and such waste froze into ocean causing the marine plastic crisis.
Solid waste management is urgent challenge to protect health of people and the entire ecosystem.
In many cities and countries, I often hear strong requests to support development of sound and effective waste management systems.
Waste management is indeed important, but we also need to address the root cause of waste increase.
We need to reduce, reuse and recycle waste by designing new production systems and new lifestyles.
Concept of circular economy is a fundamental paradigm shift.
And this session provides an important space to exchange experiences from different contexts and perspectives from international organizations, governments, academia, private sector, in particular, entrepreneurs, and to reflect on what works and how partnership can be further strengthened to promote this fundamental paradigm shift.
In particular, the emphasis on linking local action with global commitments will be critical in ensuring that concepts are translated into action.
I hope today's dialogue will contribute to shaping actional pathways forward, grounded in collaboration, innovation, and shared learning.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.
Thank you, miss Isai, for that inspiring introduction.
Now we will move on to our experts presentation.
First, to present is Mr.
Sinan aganda, the CEO and co founder of Waste plus in Kampala Uganda, a youth led social enterprise that transforms plastic waste into affordable construction materials, such as a fencing poles, plastic lumber and pipes from recycled plastic waste ws creating green income opportunities.
Sinan is a Commonwealth Green Investment award recipient.
A Kingdom of the Netherlands most innovative Enterprise Award winner, a Mercedes Venz Fellowship mentor, a fellow of the UNS Environment Hb, and a Rockefeller Foundation, Africa Climate Evaluator, a champion for community empowerment, Mr.
Itenda demonstrated a clear passion for in environmental stewardship.
So let's welcome him to the stage.
Hello.
Welcome to this very wonderful session.
As I've been introduced, my name is Sinan S Gender.
And just before I begin, I want to I brought something with me today, which I think I This could work? A bit.
So I This is something that most of the world calls waste.
It's a plastic pothe bag.
In my world, where I grew up from as a kid, this was a football or a soccer ball.
I think you can relate with B as no.
Now, Growing up as kids, We knew that we needed to find entertainment or happiness.
I agree or I know most of us who are here.
If you were young, we knew we organized usually football tournaments in our villages.
The one thing that we always had to do was to find or we would mobilize amongst ourselves who was good at making the most bouncy or lightbll from plastic and It was fun and challenging moments.
My mother was a tailores in the community and we had a lot of at our house clothes of cuts.
For me, that used to be the most ideal material to make a ball.
My friend, does come and challenge me when they come with very good plastic balls, yet they would use them over and over and over.
And at some point, you'd find the community has already prepared for you when you go to look to pick plastic bags in the community, is fine.
People have already prepared for you this collected them for you so that you make the ball.
Now, this really intrusively helped to train our heads in the most indirect way that you can imagine, introducing us to the current challenges or showing us the challenges in the community at that young age right now, we didn't know that could help us to now solve the day to day challenges.
Now, Fast forward, when I joined the university, Macao University, which is the best in Africa, outside South Africa, it is the third best university at that time, at least.
I was very proud.
I was very proud I joined a university that would shift order to transform my life in terms of academics and in terms of because we used to call them the University of Understanding.
When you're in Uganda, when you talk about a university, the university.
It's only one university that's Macao University and I was very proud of that.
Now, to my surprise, I couldn't in my first year, I couldn't imagine that the very university that I was so much proud of was more messed up than my high school.
I couldn't imagine that wherever I was working, there were no dumping areas for proper waste management.
I'm not just talking about plastic waste.
I'm talking about general waste.
That was a shift in my mind.
I said together with a number of my colleagues, how can this change? How could be this such a case? The second semester in first year, I said, I need change in my university.
I mobilized students, and that's how I became the Minister for Estates and environment in my first year.
During that time, There were no programs for whatsoever, the university was trying to put up or whatever efforts.
We set up the first sustainability program that later we established the Student Sustainability action Group, which was a platform to mobilize students to do more waste picking.
That is me.
I think nine years ago in 2017, in my first year.
I don't think you can recognize me if you just saw me on the streets.
But that's That is when I realized that the challenges as waste, we could only solve them if we are only students you could not expect anything from the university administration.
Now, I graduated in 2022.
After graduation, before graduation, I realized that after all the collections, the different activities, we had organized the waste Awareness Week in the university for three years funded by the university and we had all these waste that we had amassed in the university.
We sometimes we were giving this waste collection collected waste to different plastic garbage collection trucks that were also usually inefficient in collection.
And the At one point, I met the CEO of Pepsi in Uganda and at that time, we were looking for funding, and then he told me that, as long as people still want refreshment, we shall never stop producing plastic bottles of soda.
As simple as that statement, it is, but it had an impact on my head.
I was like, if this challenge is here to stay, then there can be a better solution.
That is when I started seeing the value.
Now, I started compiling the waste that we had collected at the university.
I started compiling those kind of engagements that you have, and then I That is when the triggering of value in West came in after understanding.
But remember, when you identify value, now I was so much determined after graduation, I needed to start up a company.
I didn't know how, I did not have any capital.
So I had a good friend who offered me a paid internship, sort of apprenticeship and in that apprenticeship is what actually helped me to start.
During that time, we made lots of innovations.
It is when I tested out all the various possibilities of what we could do with plastic waste.
And during one of the products, I just wanted to show you one of them.
We made the first recycled plastic bot, which helped to create about 60 temporary jobs and removing more than 10,185 bottles of plastic waste, equivalent to 300 ages if one k of plastic waste has about 40 bottles.
Experts you can help me to correct that, but I'm sure.
It's not just a plastic bot.
What I wanted to show you is this is more than just a bot.
And the importance of that boat in our community at that time.
You know that 80% of the plastic waste on land is actually ending up in water bodies.
In Uganda, in the community where we created this boat from, about 40% of the plastic that is actually that is polluting the community there is actually coming from Rwanda, Tanzania, it's not even within that particular area.
It was more of an issue that was just beyond our community.
The idea of the boat was to get various students learn about this challenge and to get various people so that they can know that this boat was just the start to create what we would call a pontoon which would carry more waste while teaching other children the value of waste recycling.
To that we have, of course, now left that company and in 2020, just after one year, which was good enough, that's when I started Waste plus and we've gone ahead to make various products like picnic tables and a number of fencing construction material and some of which you'll see later today some of these examples which are here.
Now, August 2024, Uganda's biggest landfills landfill.
We had a big disaster.
There was what we call a waste slide that killed more than 40 people.
Uganda was not prepared for such an incident.
In this, in the West sector, it was the most unexpected way, though it had been recorded or warned from technocrats and During that time, we had never worked with the habitat before.
And we got a call, a request from the country team from UN Habitat requesting us to do a photo survey of the area and find out what we could do.
We made a report and the result of that report was a proposal.
And at that time, we were asked, what can you do to help? We first offered to volunteer during that proposal that we had developed together with UN Habitat.
And it is that point when we met a Professor Mashogi Yasshi, who is also here with us today.
Now, During that point, professor interested us to consider the possibility of using our recycling technology to see how we can solve this problem.
Initially, they were using initial professors technology of the folk worker method, the semi aerobic landfill treatment was using concrete pipes in cases of developing countries, not developed countries.
But in cases of developing countries they are using concrete pipes, which professor told us they had issues with especially reactions with sulfur dioxide over time and they would crack.
So the solution was, how could we develop a much more durable resistant solution? That is when Professor visited us at our site, and then we embarked on the process of making those pipes.
During that time, we made our first prototype, which was through the technology which was weighing more than 25 ages and through the different exchanges and advice with Professor, we later managed to reduce this pipe which was weighing more than 25 ages to finer 13 cages easily movable around the site and also much better quality.
This project has helped not just the landfill.
Right now, we look at for each pipe that was produced, there were more than 25 people that actually benefited along the line in collecting the plastic, in sorting, in crushing, in the washing, and also in the transportation of these pipes to the landfills.
More than 25,000 kilograms of waste were used in the production of more than 1,200 pipes that were used on the landfill.
Created at least 30,000 temporary jobs for the community through all these processes and during that time, right now, as we speak, the landfill is in a much better state just waiting for handover to the government.
It's at this very point that I want to thank these particular offices, the resident coordinator of the UN in the region in Uganda, as well as the UN had that regional head in the country and the Japanese embassy, as well as Professor Masafuji and the entire team.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, Sinan for this inspiring presentation.
Now let's warmly receive our next expert.
We welcome to the stage, Professor Emeritus Yasui Masuji, renowned for founding the Fukoka method.
Professor Matuji has led an impressive career trajectory from the development of semi aerobic landfill to providing invaluable waste management related training to government trainees worldwide.
Please give him a warm round of applause.
Professor Matsuishi.
Thank you very much for your introduction and Shia thank you very much for the excellent and very interesting presentation.
I had a very strong impression for your activity.
Thank you.
Honorable guests and distinguished members of ladies and gentlemen, my name is Yashi Matsui.
I'm Emeritus Professor of the Sukuoko University of Japan.
And the chairman of the NPO, Swan Soga.
San solid waste Advisor Network NPO.
It is an honor to invited to speak at this special session of the World Urban Forum 13.
I would like to sincerely thank the organizers, my fellow honorable speaker and all of you who have joined us today here.
The theme in today's special session in how to advance waste management and complete the loop of the circular economy.
Before entering into the discussion, I would like to look back on the history of the waste management from it area state in which I have been involved for over 50 years.
To the present and share the tech and states in my thought of the future of the loop and I hope we can entrust to the next generation.
Let me begin with 1970s.
When I started my career as a young researcher, at that time, Japan was undergoing rapid population growth, urban expansion, and industrization, However, waste management system and technology could not keep out with this phase.
Final disposal sites were a little more than place was simple dump.
They produce bad odors, as you know, and contamination water such as leakt and causes high air or explosion due to the metan gas.
There was also massive outbreak of huge flooies and serious groundwater pollution, as you know.
In many ways, this association to exactly what many developing city in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are facing today, Japan experienced these challenges roughly 50 years earlier.
At these of the Fuca City, Fuca University began and developing with treatment technology to address and improvement problem.
This work led to the development of what later because I known the Fuca methods.
I believe that many of you may already be familiar with it or at least have heard of it.
But let me briefly explain it outline.
Okay.
Digital collection pipe drain pipe and installed at the bottom of the landfill site and these are connected to the vertical gas venting pipe just mentioned, through the structure, oxygen is introduced into the landfill, allowing it to function not only at the disposal site, but also as a form of treatment system.
Within the landfill, heat convection generated by microbio fermentation draw oxygen and natural through the DJ collection pipe.
This activities, aerobic microorganisms which decompose organic pollutants.
Reduce methane gas generation and also prify digits to a certain extent.
In the 1970, the role of the type of the microorganism involved decomposition of the organic waste, but not yet clearly understood.
By chance, I came across a book at the bookstore written by the professor at the Toku University, Japan, which describes the role of the microorganism.
I was great surprised by it and felt its potential.
I went to the Toku University and spent about six months studying the microbiology.
I formed a hypothesis that even without continuously supplied air using the electric blower to maintain aerobic condition, microorganism could remain active if only pathway exists within this layer for the inter after several years repeated experiments with my colleagues in the Engineering facars.
We were able to confirm this.
Although regularly worked in the engineering, my in the ordinary field was pharmaceutical science.
My entry into the waste field was triggered by the witness severe environments and human damage causes my marine pollution, such as, do you know the Minamata disease, and so on during my training as a pharmacist.
Looking back, I believe that my background of the chemistry helped me recognize the role of the microorganism with decomposition.
At the time, I was constantly thinking about this day and night.
I even dreams to conversation between the microorganisms that distinguish site mechanism from the Arabic system that delay on the fourth year, I named it Arabic and it can be known as the Fuga method.
In 1975, Fuga City offer adopted this method, creating the world's first semi Arabic landfill.
In 1979, I was recognized by, it was recognized by Japan Ministry of Health and Welfare at the time as a national standard technical guideline for landfill technology.
Today, approximator and 85% of municipal landfill in Japan use the Fukoka method.
Later in the 2011 Fa method was acknowledged as a clean sustainable method such as new CDM clean development mechanism by UNFCCC.
The method was expanded beyond Japan to the list of the world starting with its introduction in Malaysia in 1988.
It was now being adopted in about 28 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
There are several reasons why the Foca method has spread so widely in the developing country with limited budget, personal, and technical capacity.
It can be introduced relative low cost and its mechanism is simple.
That means it does not require the highly advanced engineering skill.
It can also be constructed using the locally available material.
For example, gas painting pipe can be made from the debris, bamboo, used drum gun and used oil tire.
Another important advantage is that it can be applied not only to newly constructed landfill, but also to existing damp site that have developed over ten or 20 years enable their improvements.
This is a very important concept.
Today, in a city across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, this composition and rainfall pattern have been changing significantly due to the climate changes and urbanization.
Over the past decade in particular, landfill collapse, gas explosion and fire have occurred frequently across the region, sometimes developing in the major disaster with serious impact on surrounding community and huge or loss of life.
In many developing cities, dump site often being the sus outskirts, but as city expand, they end up across located near the center.
This make early improvement, rapid stabilization and safe frozure get top priority.
When we provide support to these cities, we often begin with the emergency improvement of landfill site.
This gives us an entry point to the work with government and the university to improve the collection and transportation, promotes waste and separation, and support the composting and recycling market, contribute integrated solid waste management.
As I mentioned, stabilization is a key feature of the Fogoga method.
In Foga City, landfill site has adopted this method.
The 1980s have already been transformed into the urban farm, park, school, and facility of the elderly shown in this picture.
With proper monitoring and safe checks, even damside can after improvement and safe closure be returned to city as useful and even transfer into the green urban park and added value.
More recently, last year, a project to Tunisia using the Focal method was selected under Japan joint credit mechanism such as a CM, which is promoted by the Japan Ministry of the Environment.
This system enable a country to share the greenhouse gas deduction achieved through the technical cooperation.
It estimated that the emission from the urban dump site accounts for about 10% of total city emission and the improvement using the focal method can be reduced this emission by up to 50%, very effective.
I'm now 78-years-old.
I retired from Scher University eight years ago and currently serve the chairman of Swan Ska.
Even now, I spent about one third of the year overseas working on site in response to the decrease from the UN Habitat, ICA, and nation government.
I'm not interested in what we call NATO.
You know, no action talking only.
But however, I am interested in what we call the AVT action before talking.
For me, the most important press is always dumping field.
I also conducted training to the engineers a government offser from the overseas and I have worked with more than 100 countries so far.
Half of the century After its development, the Fuca method originally creates the address burning dumpsite in Fukuoka has spread around the world and it helped to restore was mount into the usable lands.
Through my work, I continue to learn from local generality and phone to people work on the ground and my quality and desire to further improvement technology remains as strong as ever.
Necessity create innovation and conviction open the way, encourage and counter with many people have built a global network of the colleagues, in particular, meeting young partners such as just mentioned, Mr.
Him from Uganda has been a great source of motivation.
Together, we have begun installing the digit collection and gas venting pipe made from recycled waste in Uganda dump site.
Just to mention Tinam.
This is a small step, but it has the potential to create a much larger cycle, recycling low quality projects.
Generate income and employment with speakers and create a new market to recycle plastic products, as you know.
Finally, safe and functional landfill serves as the ultimate safety net for circular economy.
This is a practablecular economy, not NATO.
As we continue to advance towards resource decalculation system, this foundation remains essential.
While I'm looking forward to the discussion to the for the efforts of this will carry with work forward.
I will continue thriving to the further developing this technical foundation.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us challenge together and let us work together.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Professor.
Up next, we have a short video message from GICA which unfortunately couldn't send the delegation this time, but GCA is a longtime partner for many of the countries present here today, an important steering committee member of ACCP, the African Clean cities platform where UN Habitat serves as the Secretariat.
We will now hear from Katsura Mijasaki, Senior Vice President.
Distinguished organizers from U inhabitat, honorable speakers and panelists.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am Mirza Katara, Executive Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Japan International Cooperation Agency, JaCA.
It is a great honor for me to join you today.
I sincerely thank inhabitat and all participants for your commitment to tackling one of the most pressing urban challenges of our time.
As economies grow, waste is expected to increase by around 50% 2022-2050.
This trend poses serious environmental and health risks, especially for poor and vulnerable people.
CA's mission is to realize human security, ensuring that people live in a clean, safe and healthy environment through proper waste management is fundamental to our mission.
Based on Japan's experience and ZCA's cooperation, we identify three stages of waste management.
The first stage focuses on improving public health through proper collection and transport of waste in residential and urban areas.
The second stage aims to reduce negative environmental impacts through improved treatment and environmentally sound final disposal.
The third stage, six to promote a resource efficient circular and society.
Let me share how CA's cooperation has been scaled up across regions.
Through CA's Clean City Initiative, ICA aims to reach 500 million people by 2030.
We have already implemented 55 projects benefiting around 280 million people over 50 countries.
In Peru, we have been working to improve the operation of final disposal sites.
In this effort, Pfefa Matusuchi of Fukuoka University has provided valuable guidance on establishing an operational model for locally adapted semi aerobic landfill sites.
We expanded through good practices to other countries such as Honduras and Madagascar.
In Bangladesh, TAC has supported Dhaka City for nearly two decades, which improved waste collection rate from 44% to 85% and expanded community based waste collection systems across more than 50 districts, ensuring that waste is collected at designated times and locations.
These experiences are shared beyond Bangladesh and applied in countries such as Sudan and South Sudan.
In addition, ChEA, together with UUNhabitat is a founding partner of the African Clean Cities platform, which facilitate knowledge sharing and peer learning among countries.
At the same time, TEA is supporting the transition to the circular economy.
Examples include a project for establishing end of life vehicle recycling systems in Thailand and promoting industrial parks in Vietnam.
Achieving a circular economy requires more than simple transfer of existing systems.
Success depends on building institutional suited to local contexts, stronger capacity, and inclusive partnerships.
Waste management remains an urgent challenge, and ECA will continue to promote co creation, working together with our partners such as government, private sector, academia, civil society, and international organizations to realize sustainable waste management systems and circular economies around the world.
In closing, I sincerely hope that today's discussion will be fruitful and it will lead to deeper partnership among us.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Now it's time for our roundtable discussion.
To lead this engaging conversation, please welcome our moderator, miss Nar Lisa Hashim, the Chief Executive at Urbanis Malaysia.
A pioneer urban planner, miss Hashim holds over three decades of experience driving sustainable and inclusive city development.
She has led landmark national projects and plays a pivotal role in advancing Malaysians SDG cities program and regional urban transformation initiatives.
Joining our moderator are five distinguished panelists.
Mr.
Hassan Zuber, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Turkey.
Mr.
Athar Abasv, the Chairman of board, miss Shir, OJSC Clean City of Azerbijan.
Mr.
Shalin Seen, the head of Services of Lata City Council in Fiji.
Mr.
Amer Lasn, governor of Ashwan, Egypt, Mr.
Agustin Maria, the global lead for city infrastructure at the World Bank.
Mr.
Aleksander Salim, the Regional Growth Director at Kadiva Inova.
Let's give them all a warm round of applause as they take their seats.
Before we begin the discussion, let's watch another short video that will set the stage for our conversation.
The messages from Yokohama City in Japan, which is a champion city in the circular economy policies and activities.
We now hear from the mayor of Yokohama.
Good afternoon, everyone.
My name is Taharu Yamanaka, Mayor of Yokohama.
It is a great pleasure to have this opportunity to share Yokohama's initiatives at the World Urban Forum.
Cities are leading the transition to a sustainable society.
As centers of people's daily lives and economic activity, cities have a major responsibility to reduce their environmental impact.
For example, waste management is an essential part of building a secular society.
In Yokohama, remarkably, we achieved a 50% reduction in citywide vulnerable waste through collaboration between citizens and local government, despite a 10% increase in the city's population.
Furthermore, our initiatives such as Site 100, which promotes environmentally friendly and future oriented lifestyles among the citizens have gained widespread recognition.
As a result of these efforts, Yokohama was named one of the 20 cities toward zero waste by the United Nations March 2026 to share these experiences among cities across Asia and strengthen our collective ability to shape green policy.
We called for a common framework for Sara cities inspired by initiatives in Europe This led to the establishment of the Asian Sahara Cities Declaration in November 2025, which now brings together 24 cities from seven Asian countries.
In 2027, Yokohaa together with UN SCAP, will host ninth Asian Pacific Urban Forum, or ApuvNN, the largest regional conference in Asia and the Pacific, which chairs the World Urban Forum's vision of contributing Sustainable Urban Development.
We will incorporate various voices from diverse stakeholders, including younger generations into AppvNN.
Finally, let me introduce Yokohama Green Expo in 2027 next year, and International Expo focused on environmental sustainability.
We look forward to welcoming you all to Yokohama in 2027, so please save the date.
Thank you for your attention and please enjoy a short video about our expo.
Living on Earth, we have abundant hopes, yet limited resources.
This contentment may not last forever.
Will someone else do something? You may not sense it in your day to day life, but the Earth is really in danger now.
Climate change is altering the habitats that life depends on.
Whole ecosystems are at risk.
02.
The soil we use to grow food could become infertile.
Even the flowers that decorate our lives could lose their color.
For all life on Earth to keep thriving, that is the tomorrow we want to create.
To address the environmental challenges we face, we will showcase exhibitions exploring nature based solutions in the circular economy from multiple perspectives.
By providing nature based solutions, we will discover pathways to a more fulfilling tomorrow.
There will be lots of experiences for participants to enjoy according to their interests.
This expo will take place at the former Kamisak Communication facility, a site returned to Japan 70 years after the war, and now serves as a symbol of peace and friendship.
Following the expo, the area will become a vast park dedicated to sustainability and disaster resilience from Yokohama to Japan, from Japan to the world, and for the Earth so that the Earth and all who call it home can continue to thrive.
Preparations are now underway for Green Expo 2027.
And now I hand the floor over to our moderator, miss Hashim, to begin the panel discussion.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Very good afternoon to everyone.
How is everyone doing? I know it's 430 and it's always difficult to be at the very last session.
So as you can see, I'm joined here with the fantastic panelists.
We are still waiting for Excellency Mr.
Hussain, who's on his way here.
But let's get started.
I think we have had two wonderful speakers just now, Mr.
Sinan and Professor, who have set the stage for us, including our mayor from the City of Yokohama.
And I think when we are here at the World Urban Forum, when we talk about sustainability and we've been talking about housing, infrastructure.
However, one fundamental thing that actually quietly really determines whether a city is truly livable or inclusive and resilient is how we manage our waste.
It's something that in the old days we used to say we sweep things under the carpet.
But now is a thing that we're talking of waste in the context of circularity and how regenerative cities are becoming the way on how we should be planning and developing our cities.
As I mentioned, we've got this very renown panelists here and I would like to move on given the very 1 hour left for our session here.
So maybe as we move on, maybe the speakers can actually introduce themselves what they're doing, their organization, and also share what has been done in your city or in your organization.
So I would like to first invite because we've got panelists here from national, regional, local government, as well as the private sector.
So you couldn't ask for a better set of panelists here on stage with me.
So I would like to start here with Excellency, Mr.
Ibar Abasov, the chairman of the board of Shahar.
OJSC which is the joint committee and security committee or something like that of Azerbijan Open joint stock company of Azerbijan.
Yeah.
I was trying to find out what OJSC means.
So yes, Excellency, please introduce yourself and you know what your organization does in terms of secularity.
Moderator.
Thank you, miss Moderator.
As you mentioned, our organization Shahar opened Joyston Company.
I am a chairman of this organization.
The meaning of this organization is keep clean our city and we began our activity since 2008 according to the decree of our president Mr.
President, and starting from that period, we begin to manage waste in Maku and Ashram Peninsula.
As you know, Bku is the biggest city of Azerbijan and our main target is to start to launch our activity from Bku in order to be effective in waste management and it is a major factor from that period I am acting have been acting during 17 years and I have participated in several projects.
I want to give a short information about these projects at that period jointly with the government of Azerbijan and the World Bank, we signed the agreement to on unified management of wastes in the frame of this project, we began to manage wastes and carry out refilling of these wastes, and we make sanitary land plot and it covers 120 hectres In the frame of this project for Azerbijan we developed the strategy of waste management and proposed to the government In 2009 in parallel with these activities on the basis of order of the government of Azerbijan we constructed a plant for burning of waste in Eastern Europe.
In that, that plant have the capacity to produce annually 500 tons of waste in the construction during the construction of this plant, we meet all European standards and minimizing the effect of the environment.
At the same time, starting from 2012, we constructed a plant of a classification of hard waste.
We classified the waste, for example, classified them as a paper, a plastic, iron, as a glass, and then we classify them and then We then we transport them to Paki Industrial zone and produce them and process them at that site and that industrial park constructed on the basis of decree of the government residents.
The resident involved by our government gave, for example, privileges as the tax reduction from, for example, value added taxes, they made free of these taxes that's classification planned at the products the products for further production.
The material for the further production are presented to the manufacturers.
Additional project is the utilization of medicinal products.
And this is our new project, as you know, that we have several medical institutions and organizations, and that's why we have made decisions that we have to occupy with the sterilization of medical products.
Our other project is the processing of the materials of the used and old vehicles.
Transportation means that you know that our big problem is It's to eliminate the used and the old fashioned transportation means and vehicles and that project are carrying on during 1.5 year and more than 1.5 million transport vehicles are recycled target and the government issued the certificates for the owners of that vehicles in order to get new vehicles for further periods by that owners.
As you know that we have a broad public relations, we organize various tools for the students in order to enlighten the students.
At a short, I give information about the activity of our organization.
Thank you for your attention.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr..
A very interesting model indeed, and I think the involvement not only from the stock exchange, but also from the government working together towards secularity.
I would like to move on first before we can come back for any discussion.
I would like now to invite Mr.
Omri Lasin, governor of Aswan of Egypt, Governor, your experience on secularity here.
Okay.
Thank you very much for the invitation.
I'm really honored to join such a very important session with the honorable panelists here.
Just speak about myself first.
I'm an urban planner by education and I served as a governor advisor together while working with GIS and then I joined KEE International, the World Bank, and I was managing the governance program at habitat, Egypt until I'm appointed as the deputy governor of Aswan for 13 months and now I've been appointed the governor of Aswan since FP.
Throughout this years, I was working in informal areas and of course, with a special focus on informal areas, mainly on the waste management.
To just give you a geographic understanding of Aswan governoate Aswan governate is actually on the southern part of Egypt and we are connecting Egypt to Africa.
We have the River Nile, so we have plenty of different uses, be it residential areas like cities, right on the Nile, we have Nile cruises, we have hotels.
Of course, we have agriculture, so we have bits and pieces of everything.
When I've been appointed as a deputy governor and I'm going to shed the light on this experience, we started utilizing the UN Habitat Waste W City tool because I was responsible for implementing it while I was in Egypt office and actually the O my team, we translated it into Arabic for a broader use in the Arab world region.
We utilized it to be used in Aswan in order, first of all, to understand what we are facing.
Because it's very important to understand and realize what is the magnitude of the opportunity, not of the challenge or the problem.
We understood the garbage amount, what are the different segments within it, where it comes from, and we have hotels, we have Nile cruises, we have cities, we have informal areas, and even we have agriculture wastes.
In addition to, of course, waste hazards coming from hospitals and from from health clinics.
What we have done is that we started by developing this strategy.
In order to see who is going to do what and what we need to do.
When you're going to speak with citizens about garbage, of course, they would love the streets to be clean, but for them, they need this to be done as soon as possible.
They are not going to wait for strategy and plan and long term plan and all this.
We started to work in parallel.
Number one is to work on source segregation and household collection.
This is something that we do in Egypt, that we have the garbage collectors knock on the doors and we take the garbage from there.
In the same time, we started to find out ways of attracting investors and means of including the informal waste collectors because it's very important before we start a partnership with any entity that we are in control, that everyone understands what we are doing.
The ones who are going to break the system are the informal correctors.
It was very important to reach out to them and come up in an agreement that we are going to integrate you within the system.
Of course, they didn't trust us in the beginning, but we are working on this.
But we told them we are not going to hold you accountable for anything at the beginning until we realize the benefits coming from the being in the system.
Then we started working with the Nile cruises.
We have plenty of Nile cruises.
We worked with them in the source segregation and to make sure that we, the government, collect the garbage because we did not really trust that's going to be I'm not going to say investor, but informal collector because he or she, they can take the garbage and then they can throw it the ones they don't want to use in the Nile.
We told them we are going to do this in order to make sure that the system is operational and we asked them just segregate between the organic and non organic and we are going to take both of them.
Last thing was to reach out to donors, especially with the hazards or the hospital and health waste because it's very harmful, of course, and we have plenty, we have huge number of health units, clinics, hospitals, private hospitals.
We reached out to UNICEFf and now while I'm here, we have a very big place and a facility to collect all this and to safely get rid of them or diffuse their problems with the UNICEF and we are covering the whole region in the southern part of Egypt.
To cut it short is very important before we do anything that we understand the context.
Very deeply and understand who is the veto player, who is going to be the fundamental person or entity we are going to work with and to ensure that they are not going to, sorry to say this, ruin the system and they were the informal because they are the vulnerable and the same time they are the most powerful because without them being engaged in the process, they might really find some leakages and then the system itself is not going to be operational.
I finished in time.
Fantastic.
Thank you.
I think Governor, we were all there for Wolf 12 in Cairo.
I think we are very, we have fond memories of our time there.
I'm actually interested on the River Nile because it connects so many governoates.
How do you coordinate that, if you could just expand a little bit.
How we coordinate with the other governorates Yeah on that.
Okay.
Actually, each governor is responsible for the geographic area where denial is in.
But generally, we have the Ministry of Local Development and environment and they are setting the rules and the rules by which we should abide to and abide by.
Then for each governor, it's up to him or her to set the system, again, understanding the context, to set the system for doing this.
The adjacent governoate to me it usu like in the northern We are coordinating together on the system, especially on the Nile cruises part because we have the Nile cruises traveling from Luxo to Aswan and vice versa.
The system itself, which we are implementing, we already asked them to follow the same system in order to ensure that there is no leakage in the process.
Fantastic.
Thank you very much.
I love this shared responsibility that you've adopted together by also recognizing informer collectors.
Let's move on and we have Mr.
Shan Singh, the head of Services for Laotoka City Council of Fiji.
Sir, if you would like to share the work of the city.
Thank you, moderator and fellow speakers and all the daggers from around the globe.
Yes, I represent a lot of city from the Pacific Islands.
I also carry the voices of the Pacific islands in this forum in the urban agenda.
As you know, we are located in the ocean, surrounded by sea.
We are small nations, developing nations, also limited with resources.
We also feel and we realize that unmanaged waste or improper waste management not only has impact on the environment, but also on the social issues, the health, climate change risk and also economic impacts.
As you know, open dumping and releases methane gas, which is more potent than carbon.
Open burning of waste also generates carbon dioxide.
Then we know that unma waste also have impact on the public health in terms of vector breeding and vector borne diseases, liposporsis and dengue, which is more prevalent in the Pacific Islands.
These are some impacts which are having on the public health.
In virt of the informal collectors, they're exposed to harsh conditions if the waste are not me properly.
I know Fiji has now given a new name for the informal recyclers.
We refer them as the collection pillars of recycling because we have understood that to do recycling, the informal recyclers, they play an important role.
And going further, some of the activities that my small council with the Fiji population is only 1 million.
So we don't have the technology, the resources.
So some small steps that we are taking is, first of all, we have launched the buyback system in Fiji, whereby we buya the bottles and cans for $0.05, which is really making big impact in getting rid of the plastic pollution in the alum s from the environment.
Secondly, as you know, the waste composition is 60% of the total waste, so we are prioritizing the reduction in the organic waste through composting.
Two of the areas and how we're doing this is we're promoting the home compost subsidy program for the residents.
I I speak my city at the moment, 700 residents are now practicing home composting and we buy compost bins at $135 and we sell only $30 so they can practice composting.
In doing so, we reduced organic waste going to landfills to reduce the liter.
Secondly, we have the vegetable market, so we divert the organic waste and we do market composting and we're selling at a very cheap rate of $3.09 per ten kilogram.
This is becoming a big hot market and we're not able to supply most of level demand for this mercer composting.
The other areas is enforcement and also we have landfill site that we manage and we cater for the waste from the neighboring cities and towns because we know that there is very important to collect all the waste.
Now we have worked with our government to extend the Gasol and services.
Previously, it was only city area, so now we extend to per urban and rural remote areas, the densely pop areas, the informal settlements to collect all the waste, and we thankful the government for the support.
Also, Awareness is also very important.
Without awareness, we cannot achieve goals for proper waste management.
For the past 11 years, we are carrying out a clean schools program whereby we are reaching out to all the 50 schools in my city, doing three rounds of monitoring and wonderful judging in terms of giving them an opportunity to practice proper waste management.
In this, I must thank Za ACA has played a big role in supporting city council and other nations in the Pacific Islands in managing our waste properly.
Some of the assistance they've given like a way bridge, which is help us to manage our data, heavy masonry, garbage trucks, and so on.
Once again, I to take this platform to thank ACA for the assistance.
Now we've seen that the Canadian government through the cycle Ons project has come on board.
They're also assisting us in terms of the market was composting.
The role of the government and other stakeholders, I know it is very critical that if you have to advance the circular economy, it cannot be done by alone.
We need to work in partnerships, we have to work with the government in terms of the legislations and policies to support the local government in terms of enforcing the law, also investing in the infrastructure of improving a proper waste management central landfill.
In terms of donor agencies like we have Jack and other agencies who are here in this room, we really reach out if we can help the Pacific Islands in terms of improving the waste management.
Thank you, everyone, Ma.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Shin.
Yeah, I think it is very crucial when we talk about the ecosystem of waste management.
I think what you have shared just now and also Governor Aswan have also shared is actually security is actually beyond not just about the infrastructure, it's also governance, it's also the legal framework, and then the role of everyone is very, very crucial in terms of making it possible and the integration of policies between national and local and all players involved.
I think it is very clear on awareness.
In Malaysia, we have also now have a solid waste circular economy council chaired by my minister actually.
Before I came last week, we had a breakthrough with the Ministry of Education where we have managed to bring it as a co curriculum to schools.
I think we are all learning from one another and this is amazing.
I would like to welcome, Excellency, Mr.
Hasan Sovel.
He's the Deputy Minister of Environment and Urbanization and Climate Change.
Excellency.
Yeah.
Can I welcome you? Yes.
Yes.
All right.
Thank you for joining us.
Task Simbsh Thank you very much, Distinguished participants.
I would like to salute you all on behalf of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Republic of Turkey and I thank UN Habitat, which organized this panel, our friendly and brotherly country, Azerbijan for its gracious hospitality and all the host authorities.
I'm very pleased to be with you at this important session addressing the transition from waste management to circular economy.
Unmanaged waste poses not only environmental, but also serious climatic and social risks, particularly in vulnerable urban areas.
Waste that is not collected regularly and is disposed of without control, increases methane emissions, accelerating climate change, causes water and soil pollution and coags drainage systems, increasing the risk of floods and disasters.
In addition, low income neighborhoods and vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected by these impacts due to health problems, poor living conditions, and unequal access to services.
Therefore, we believe that waste management should be considered not just a disposal service, but a fundamental element of climate action, public health, social inclusion, and sustainable development.
As Turkey with this understanding, we place the waste hierarchy and circular economy principles at the center of our policies.
Our main priority is to prevent waste from being generated within the framework of a zero waste approach and to recover generated waste by collecting it separately at the source and reintegrating it into the economy through reuse recycling and recovery.
The Zero Waste Pro initiated by our ministry in 2017 has transformed into a global environmental movement.
As part of this project, the installation of zero waste management systems has been completed in 217,000 buildings and campuses.
Cooperation protocols are being established with institutions and organizations to promote the zero waste approach and best practices, to instill sustainable production and consumption habits, and to conduct education and awareness campaigns.
Training has been provided to 28 million people to transform zero waste into a lifestyle.
The recycling rate, which was 13% in 2017, has been gradually increased to 34.92% in 2025, 36.08% in 2024, and 37.53% as of 2025.
We are expecting the recycling rate to be 60% in 2035 and to 70% in 2053.
From the start of the project until the end of 2025, a total of 90 million tons of recyclable waste, including 36.1 million tons of paper and cardboard.
10.2 million tons of plastic, 3.5 million tons of glass, 9.6 million tons of metal, and 30.6 million tons of organic and other recyclable waste has been processed by businesses licensed by our ministry and reintroduced into the economy.
The collected waste has been recycled, contributing 365 billion l to our country's economy, energy savings equivalent to the annual electricity needs of 54 million households, 270 billion kilowatt/hour in total.
Water saving equivalent to Istanbuls two year water consumption, which is 2 trillion liters.
Savings equivalent to more than the annual fuel consumption of all weeks in Turkey, which is 60 billion liters, an area approximately the size of 55,000 football fields, which is 390 million cubic meter of waste storage space has been saved.
In addition, the falling of 613 million trees, equivalent to 7% of Turkey's forests was prevented and the emission of 180 million tons of greenhouse gases, equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of approximately 26 million vehicles was avoided.
As part of the Zero Waste Blue Initiative, more than 325,000 tons of marine debris have been collected in our country.
The Zero Waste Project, implemented under the slogan, the World is our Common Home has achieved significant international success.
The Zero Waste Project received awards from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 2018, United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Human Settlements Program in 2021, the Mediterrane Parliamentary Assembly and the World Bank in 2022, the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly for the second time in 2024, and Greenland in 2026, the organization has received a total of seven international awards.
However, in order to increase the sharing of experiences on zero waste initiatives, 20 municipalities from our country have been included in the International Zero Waste Cities Network established in 2022 by the Basel Convention, Asia and Pacific Regional Center.
Official bi presidential circular in 2025 with our National Circular Economy Strategy and action plan, which was published in the official gazette and entered into force, we aim to transform this vision into a more systematic, measurable structure that supports sectoral transformation.
In our municipalities, zero waste management systems and source separation activities are being expanded.
The recycling of beverage packaging is being strengthened with deposit management systems, and integrated waste management capacity is being developed through composting, biometinization, landfilling, and waste energy applications.
Furthermore, studies are being conducted on legislation and practices supporting circular economy applications.
These experiences demonstrate that solutions developed at the local level can be scaled up regionally and globally with the fight financing and governance mechanisms.
Stroke partnerships are essential for successful transformation.
It's crucial that governments establish the policy and regulatory framework that development banks and financial institutions support sustainable infrastructure investments, that the private sector develops innovative technologies and business models, and that academia and civil society contribute to knowledge production and public awareness.
Simultaneously, information sharing, technical cooperation, and the transfer of best practices between cities will ensure the rapid dissemination of solutions.
As Turkey, we are determined to strengthen these international collaborations in line with our 2053 net zero emissions targets and our hosting of Cp 31 in 2026.
I get you all respectfully and wish you a productive session.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you, Your Excellency.
I think what Excellency have already shared is actually Turko demonstrates that zero waste is not just about recycling.
Have demonstrated that it is about leadership and you have managed to bring the zero waste program to become a global agenda.
I think that's amazing.
We have learned a lot from the zero waste program ourselves in Malaysia.
I'd like to move on aware of the time that we have.
I would like to invite Mr.
Agustin Maria from the global lead of World Bank.
I think Excellency mentioned about the role of banks and finance being very crucial in this whole process.
Mr.
Agustin, the floor is yours.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Good afternoon.
Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this important session.
My name is Augustine Maria.
I'm the global diversity infrastructure at the World Bank.
I'm here to share some of the key findings of this new World Bank report on water waste 3.0.
If I may, I might use the clicker.
This report is the third in a series that was launched in 2012.
The second edition was launched in 2018 and has really become a go to reference for data on the waste sector.
We really hope that this new version that we are launching now is going to play the same role and support policy dialogue, decision making, and action in the coming years.
The headline message of the report is that waste generation, we already heard, is increasing very fast and faster than expected and the report is expecting in business as usual scenario.
The report is projecting waste to increase by 50% by 2050.
The largest volume is actually the largest volume increase is going to happen in middle income countries with an additional 1 billion tons per year.
In terms of pace of the increase, the fastest increase is actually expected in the low income countries, particularly in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia.
What compounds the challenge is that those regions with the fastest increase are actually the least equipped currently to manage this increase in waste generation.
If we look at the global number in terms of collection, we see that about one third of all waste is either not collected or openly dubbed.
Another third ends up in landfills and one third is managed more safely.
If you look at low income countries, only 28% of the waste is collected at all.
We're really starting from a low baseline and in S San Africa, only 7% of the waste is estimated to be disposed off safely in the current situation.
If we compare these numbers that we just released with the numbers from the previous report, what we see is that there have been marginal improvements in both in the overall rate of collection and in terms of safe disposal, but this is not enough and rapid action needs to be taken to avoid the negative impacts of unmanaged waste.
And we heard from the different participants the various negative impacts from unmanaged waste, particularly in terms of, of greenhouse gas reduction.
Greenhouse gas emissions.
This was already mentioned, waste is one of the main sources of methane responsible for 20% of human related emissions.
It's also the fastest growing source of methane.
The report estimates that greenhouse gas emissions from waste could increase by 40% in the business as usual scenario.
We heard that waste is a major source of plastic pollution.
Actually, we estimate that 80% of all the plastic currently in the ocean comes from unmanaged municipal waste escaping to the natural water sources.
Poorly managed waste also has, broader economic impact, the report estimates that economic losses associated to unmanaged waste can go up to 1.5% of GDP, but waste management is also a powerful local employer.
The report estimates that 18 million urban waste workers are working globally in the sector, and that might be an underestimate because of all the informal work that is not necessarily reported.
Improved waste management can mean more and better jobs and safer jobs for a large number of people.
And finally, the report is really making a case for higher ambition.
The report shows that there is chronic underspending on waste management.
For example, the report estimates that middle income countries should be spending between 0.3% and 0.5% of their GDP on waste management to manage waste adequately.
And we estimate that currently the public spending is less than half of this amount.
In terms of investments, we have three numbers.
We have a business as usual scenario, which is forecasting the 50% increase in waste generation I was explaining.
We have a high ambition scenario in which the volume of waste generated is kept at the current level and both collection and safe disposal increase to 100%, and then we have a middle of the road scenario.
One interesting thing, one interesting finding is that the cost of the sector in the high ambition scenario is actually lower because of the achievement in terms of capping the volume of waste generated, which reduces the cost of managing this waste.
That shows the high ambition scenario actually costs less than the business as usual in terms of direct costs.
Now, in terms of even in the high ambition scenario, the investment costs remain very substantial and they are several orders of magnitude compared to the current volumes of investment.
We estimate that the official development assistance over the last 20 years has been around $15 billion, less than 1% of the investment needed for the next few years.
That is why the report calls for an increased focus on waste management among the development partners.
You can see here the World Bank Group has been the largest development financir for solid waste management over this period.
We've been very proud to support countries like Azerbaijan like Turkey in improving their waste management, but of course, more needs to be done and no institution alone can close this gap alone.
I'll close in conclusion, the baseline that we see is concerning.
The trajectory is concerning, but with impacts that are both local and global But the report is also clear that there is a path forward, that acting with higher ambition is both more effective and more affordable and what we need now is both to close the current backlog and raise the bar on performance.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for a lot of these insights.
I think this report is very important.
It provides us a good understanding on how a lot of the countries.
I'm not sure about Malaysia or how much we are spending out of our GDP, but I know at the municipal level, 60% of our local budgets are spent on managing waste.
That's why it's also a big issue for us in Malaysia.
Thank you very much for the insights given.
We come to our last panelists before we can go into some discussion.
We have Mr.
Alexandra Selin from Canadiva Inova, President of the Regional Growth Group, Central Asia of the Balkans, sir? Correct.
Thank you.
F is yours.
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
I understand the last one between you and a coffee in the afternoon, so I'll try to be brief.
Alexander Sin, I represent Kanadvova.
We heard a lot from financiers, from governments.
Our company is part of a private sector.
It's a business, and this is what is required when you need to bridge between idea, between a thought and a policy and an asset on the ground, something that delivers something material.
I What are the benefits of what we do? I start with the benefits first because I think they have to be something for the audience and for the society.
We are a technology and asset management company.
We like to think of ourselves as a green utility and what we do, we help avoiding landfills that generate, as colleagues mentioned, enormous amount of methane and greenhouse gases, and we convert waste into something useful.
So a few things on who we are, Kenadviova, Switzerland.
We are one of the leading companies, one of the leading technology providers in the sector, over 3,000 people, close to 100 years of experience.
We are the original technology creator of various incineration technologies and various technologies that convert green waste into methane, and the and various burnable gases.
We work across various fields from technology to equipment to asset creation, turnkey construction to project development.
And I think this is rather important because what I see more and more in the current environment is society is interested in various things, but more interested in a solution.
When someone comes and offers something that would work, you have certain tariffs, you have certain issues, and someone comes and develops a project, brings financing, builds it, bases it on the most advanced global technologies, and as a result, you have an asset that converts the problem into multiple solutions.
What does it does what can private sector bring? What are the major benefits of a of a technology companies.
We make things compliant.
The waste to energy we like to think of it ways to technology because it's not just energy.
It's electricity, it's heat, it's metals, it's various source of construction materials.
It's multiple things.
When you convert bio waste, it's not only gas, you can clean it to make it biomethane.
Then further on, you can convert that usable fuels and as well as capture the carbon.
We have various projects that we lead to capture the carbon that is often a requirement in various countries and technology makes the processes compliant.
Second thing is, I think the previous speaker from the finance community mentioned needing for financing.
What financing community is looking at is reliability that they know that the asset can be built, the asset can be completed on time on budget, that the asset can be operated, and this is what private sector does and that's where I think we take pride, we execute over a dozen large projects across the world and ways to sector and multi level projects in renewable gas, all very successfully.
What You know, how do you do that? What private companies do to make it happen? It's innovation.
We bring different technologies that help you make the plans bigger.
We combine various processes.
We try to combine, um One of the ideas is to combine waste to with gas that you generate from the anaerobic digestion.
You combine various renewable sources, for example, solar energy with a waste to energy plan.
All of it comes to a third and I think probably one of the most important topics, affordability.
It's something that I think previous speaker mentioned that lot of issues are in the countries that you don't have the tariffs of over 100 euro a ton for gate fee and ten plus cents a kilowatt hour.
I think this is the task of the private sector to come with technologies, to come with solutions that make it affordable.
And if you look at the if I give examples of recent projects we've done in Middle East, Dubai, Bu Dhabi, and particularly one in North Africa and Morocco, if you look at the tariffs, it is actually quite affordable.
It is a quite affordable asset, and that's where we take pride of combining the Swiss, as we are company Swiss and Japanese technology innovation and reliability to build something that helps society and brings value through reliability, through affordability, and through compliance with ever growing stringent environmental requirements.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I think we have had a wonderful panel here, you know, and I know that we didn't give them enough time to actually share with us everything because we have very limited time given.
But we have had the pleasure of listening to a lot of views here on the importance of leadership, the importance of people, you know, themselves, you know, I'm just wondering because we won't have time for questions for everyone.
But I think one keyword that almost all panelists mentioned is about partnerships.
Some of you were talking a bit from a top bottom, some of you talking about multi stakeholders.
I'm just wondering if And yesterday in one of my sessions, miss Kazuo was also there in another city led approach SDG that we were talking about.
Former ED Maimua spoke about the actual gap is in implementation and delivery, not in policy anymore because we've got tons and tons of policy.
So with regards to this, when we talk about this partnership, Um, everyone's view here, maybe one or two panelists can really say something is that we all agree that it's important.
But what actually do you think will really make it work, you know, in real practice? And why do we always fall out on pilot projects, you know? Because all of us always do pilot projects in our city and we always have declarations, you know, and we always come out of declarations become feeling very happy and satisfied.
But then again, when we go back, you know, it's whether or not we can implement that.
Any thoughts, governors, Deputy Minister, or all the chairmans and heads of organizations here, any views from any of you.
The mic Thank you for the question.
I would like to bring our own example.
I think that partnership is very important and authorities must play the guiding role in this process.
As in our own example, as I've already mentioned in my speech, we have a partnership with World Bank, and as a result of that partnership, we have built a modern waste management practice in Azerbijan.
We don't have to look for something new.
There is a best practice globally known and we need to bring it in our countries.
Aside from World Bank, we have the Asian Development Bank partnership.
There is a PPP projects.
We try to also involve private sector into the process.
At the same time, we have partnerships with the NGOs, We tried together with the NGOs to have campaigns, to have some activities in education centers, schools.
These are the ones that I can remember now and I think that's very important.
Thank you.
Yeah, Governor.
I'm going to be quick here.
You were speaking about pilot.
Pilot projects are sold examples.
It's not real.
Did you ever find a pilot project which did not work? Simply because you are providing some superscial support for this project to be successful, even that's coming from a donor or government or whatever.
What should we do? It actually should be natural.
I tend to differ with my colleague here.
We don't need best practice because best practice is not going to lead us to the best application.
We need a context driven.
We need the best fit and best fit comes from deep analysis and understanding.
If we are going to consider the environment and waste management as social only is not going to be function.
Environmental only is not going to be function.
Economically or private sector, it's not going to be functional.
We need to find this formula which fits with the different partners who we need to work with.
Just going to give you a very quick example.
In Aswan, we tend to have a high radiation for sun radiation.
We have three.
They are the biggest in Africa.
We have been B, we have Abduce one, Abduce two.
One of the problems that they are facing right now is the solar cells.
We have more than 5 million cells there.
And based on their quality, if it's functioning 70%, they need to change it.
But they don't know what to do with it.
What we have done is that we are working with them to have something called Re Hub Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs Hub, where we're inviting youth to come and tell us what we can do with those cells.
This is part of a partnership and it's helping them because they are considered as their R&D team to help those different stations that we have there.
But the partnership here is we are solving their problem, so we are going to invest with us and there are private sector they are going to pay.
But we speak about household waste and everything.
Again, we need to find the formula combining three environment, social and economic.
Thank you.
Yeah, I like the best feed part.
Anyone else? You know? Thank you.
The way I see it is that I see that it is very important that the people who generate waste, the people who produce products and things, they should be responsible for their own waste.
This can be only helped through the government's mechanisms of bringing new legislations that can address, for example, the container deposit legislation, the end of life vehicles, and so on.
I can see that the private sector in terms of the ones who are producing waste need to play a more important role in terms of quilting their own waste.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yeah.
This is maybe two quick points.
One point is on advocacy.
I think we have a crisis at hand and we need advocacy to convince everyone outside this room, not in, I think inside, everyone is convinced, but outside the Minister of Finance, the municipal councils to allocate the resources needed to face this crisis.
We really hope that the data that is in the report can all of you in this work on advocacy.
Second thing on partnerships, I wanted to give a highlight to the African Clean cities platform.
We heard about the urgency of acting fast, especially in S San Africa where the current situation is critical.
The Africa Clean Cities platform with the support from the government of Japan, the partnership with the UN habitat, and also the in partnership with the World Bank is a very good example of this type of partnership that is much needed.
Thank you very much.
Alexander? Just a short comment.
You mentioned the pilots, they're doing something new.
I think events like this are probably one of the key, factors to make it happen.
Of course, that someone has to do it and simply when it's being built.
But I think one of the key things is awareness that the different players in the industry speak together and they understand what is possible.
When something new comes in, maybe on a small scale, people recognize it, they realize it, and they look at various options to use it either in their city or in their business process or in financing.
I think the last on the pilots is critical is the company's discipline to make it happen.
The word pilot, if you talk to engineers, is always a concern.
You need certain size and reliability of a company that implements it to make pilots successful.
Especially when you're dealing with new technologies all the time.
You do need to get not only people to really understand what it is, and cost effective is something that is also difficult to manage and that's where the best fit issue will be something very, very critical when we're dealing with new technologies.
Excellency, is there anything that you want to add, Excellency Deputy Minister? Do you want to add anything? Yeah.
We have a delayed in terms of the translation.
Yeah.
Do you have anything to add? Okay.
Yes.
Okay.
Yes.
All right.
Sorry.
Yeah.
Tell you about problem? I couldn't hear.
I'd like to thank all the speakers and they were valuable.
I'd like to make an additional point.
We are here talking about the challenges, we share our problems.
Yes, it's correct, but I think the most important thing is that us as the human beings in the world, we need to transfer this world and it's due to the next generation.
In order to do so, we need to have environmental principles in the family, in the society, at school, and we have to increase the awareness level all around because we need to embrace and own this world together.
Second of all, in this era, they're producers and they're consumers.
Unfortunately, the producer companies, any product that they produce They are not careful whether the packaging, for example, is environmental friendly or not.
Then it becomes a process which produces the waste at all times.
Let me give you an example.
You all know we are using fabric softener.
It is liquid.
Therefore, it has to be put in a plastic package.
After this liquid is consumed, we make that plastic waste.
But the companies can produce this fabric softener, which is in liquid form, it can be produced in solid form.
Then the packaging is going to be paper, then you will be using the tablets, then there is not going to be any environmental waste at the end of the day.
Second of all, the consumers should be conscious.
While buying a product and consuming it, they need to calculate the environmental cost and this behavior should be scaled up.
The packaging should be environmental friendly and there should be competition in this field.
We can do it with education first, then we need to make legal amendments forcing it.
That's the only way to put the world to this path.
I mean, while the companies make production before launching their product to the market, They need to get a permission from a consultancy board for the packaging and get the approval, saying that this is environmental friendly.
We need to be discussing about these matters as well.
My deep respects to you all.
Thank Thank you very much, Excellency.
I do wish the conversation can continue, but I only have 2 minutes before I have to close the session.
I think what we have heard from everyone today, the discussion, I think it reminds us that waste management is actually not just the government's responsibility.
As mentioned by many of our panelists, it starts from the individual, from our homes, from our community, and most important, our everyday choice.
Every day, I think we are consuming.
We must be more responsible on how we consume Leadership actually comes from all level.
We have heard very clearly from our panelists that represents all levels of government.
National policies must be embedded.
How do we translate that to local policies? Businesses, communities, and of course, we have households and individuals.
Everyone needs to play a role to make our city cleaner and also healthier.
I think we just need to make the language simple as mentioned by the first speaker.
It's very important we start translating into local language and have a clear understanding what this is all about.
And awareness has been mentioned by everyone, you know, and I think that's also very, very critical on how we change behavior.
You know, the best fit solution just now, governor is also about behavioral understanding behavioral and social culture because ways is very social cultural.
We don't we live differently in different society, and I think it is very socio cultural.
So because of that, I think this is where we need to strengthen our partnerships very clearly, just now mentioned, empower communities, inspire each other.
I think this is very important.
I'm inspired from all of you.
And most importantly, is that our actions must be very clear.
Thank you very much and please join me in thanking all our wonderful panel.
Thank you, miss Hashim and thank you, our experts.
Yes.
Thank you so much.
We will conclude the discussion.
Yes.
Thank you.
Okay.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Very much.
Yes, we will do.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Okay.
So to close today's program, please help me welcoming miss Elizabeth Maru Mora, the Deputy Executive Director at Up for the closing remarks.
Let's see.
Good afternoon.
Good evening, all the remaining delegates, all protocols observed.
My work is fairly simple.
All has been said.
We know the problem, we know the solutions, they have been demonstrated.
It's all of us to act.
And it's not just government.
Again, it has been demonstrated actions need to begin with each and every one of us and governments basically come in to facilitate.
Nonetheless, as we conclude now this discussion this afternoon, to me, one message stands out very clearly.
Waste is not a side issue, particularly in urban development and cities.
Neither is it an afterthought nor an inconvenience to be discarded and forgotten about.
It is central to the future of safe, resilient, and inclusive cities.
During the discussions here, we've heard that it is very clear the world generates more than 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste every year, and this figure is projected to rise dramatically by mid century.
We've also heard poorly managed waste contributes to flooding, to air and water pollution, ecosystem biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions.
Equally, as is often also the case, unfortunately, the burden falls disproportionately on the most vulnerable people, the 1.1 billion people living in informal settlements and slums.
And this is why waste management cannot be separated from the broader urban agenda.
Safe and dignified housing depends on safe and functional urban environments.
A resilient city is one where waste systems protect health, reduce pollution, and support the livelihood.
Likewise, the economic case for action is clearly undeniable.
And according to our UN environment global waste management outlook, which is produced with a number of partners, fully implemented circular economy approach could generate net gains of more than $100 billion annually by 2050.
But we've had a practical example from Uganda.
Where the West is now and also Japan, the benefits, the economic base, the employment that the waste management also produces.
The question is no longer whether we can afford the transition to secular economy, but it is whether We can afford not to do it.
It is so encouraging that we see the cities already showing leadership and across the world, local governments are demonstrating that secular economy approaches works.
Communities, individuals, groups are equally demonstrated.
Therefore, reducing waste at source, recovering materials, and designing systems that keep resources in use for longer are powerful tools, particularly for the urban policymakers.
One William McDowell once said about the secular economy, in nature, there is no such thing as waste.
Everything is food for something else.
That principle clearly guides us the urban innovation around the world, and it has been demonstrated here.
Again, through our UN environment program, our One Planet Network, which brings together thousands of organizations and practitioners globally, we are helping to embed secularity into resource intensive sectors such as housing and construction.
At the same time, we must recognize the people already sustaining secular systems every day.
In many cities across the global South, informal waste workers recover the majority of recyclable material and Uganda has shown us with a demonstration, I see bricks, we've seen pipes, we have seen also from the professor what's happening in Uganda.
Where we have heard what the WAS Plus, the youth entrepreneur are doing on how to turn plastic waste into affordable construction materials.
The essential service providers, unfortunately, too often remain invisible, unprotected, and excluded.
And this is where we call upon also government governments to facilitate such innovation because they need to be facilitated and they will be able to grow even into bigger industrial cycling, recycling, waste management enterprises.
A just secular transition must include and recognize these efforts for us who are benefiting today, but actually the planet tomorrow.
So finally, closing the loop will require more than just good intentions.
It requires integrated policies, scaled up financing, strong partnership, and support for those who are beginning.
Support, particularly for the youth.
In Kenya where we are, or where UNEP is headquartered, we see how the bigger part of the waste management is managed by the youth.
In literary, rudimentally protective materials.
We see it.
These are the innovations which need to be encouraged but also supported.
And waste management then need to be integrated into housing strategies, climate action plans, infrastructure investments, economic policies, but also financing planning policies.
Because as the cities grow, financing systems must be capable of supporting sustainable waste infrastructures at scale.
And above all, we need collaboration national governments, cities, private sector, civil society, international organization.
We all need to work together, and we can do so at a global level.
Yes, there are many platforms partnership, but we need to translate them down to the local level, to the community level.
In UNEP, we have what we call global partnership on plastic pollution and marine litter and we continue to support countries also under the chemicals conventions or treaties which help with safe management of hazardous waste streams, such as even electronics and construction materials.
We also have innovative partnerships such as Istanbul Environment Center, being developed with zero waste foundation of tok to show how data, citn engagement, and digital tools can help cities make the environmental action more practicable, visible, and effective.
Here in Azerbijan we have good examples.
In Greater Baku, we have integrated solid waste management project that helps reform collection and disposal systems and also strengthen institutional capacity and support assets to upgrade the landfill.
A material recovery facility, a waste to energy plant, and Eco Industrial Park, just as one which had been demonstrated.
It shows how secular economy depends not only on public awareness, but also on the infrastructure and institutions that make recovery and reuse possible.
As I conclude, The cities of the future will not be defined only by how much they are built, but by how wisely they use the resources and waste is a resource.
This is what also all the panelists demonstrated.
Secular economy therefore is ultimately about redefining waste as something of value or to value to recover and to reuse.
In other words, waste not want not.
If we succeed, clearly, our cities will be cleaner, healthier, and more resilient, equally more just.
Thank you very much as we close this session.
Thank you, miss Moma, for those thoughtful words.
On behalf of the Regional Office for Asia the Pacific at UN Habitat, thank you for joining us today.
We sincerely hope that you have productive and engaging time.
I would like to invite our distinguished speakers, please to the podium to take a photo.
And miss Brema, if you could join us in the photo, please, and our moderator and our regional director, please.
Thank you.
Okay.