6 November 2012: The UN Environment Programme International Environmental Technology Centre (UNEP IETC) held the biennium conference of the UNEP-hosted Global Partnership on Waste Management (GPWM), from 5-6 November 2012, in Osaka, Japan. The conference convened under the theme “Waste Matters,” and focused on opportunities for organizing the waste sector in an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable way.

UNEP IETC Director Matthew Gubb underscored the potential of the waste sector as a “model area for greening the economy.” UNEP says waste management, if handled properly, can potentially transform “problems into solutions” through: the recovery and reuse of valuable resources; the creation of new business and employment opportunities, including for the informal sector; reduced emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from waste management operations, such as landfills; and the conversion of waste to energy.

The keynote address, by Richard Samans, Director General of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), focused on the theme “Waste matters” and called for “decoupling social and economic development from environmental degradation and resource use.” [UN Press Release] [UNEP Press Release] [GPWM Website][GPWM Conference News][UNITAR Press Release][Meeting report]