Waste poses many various challenges to governments, both at national and local level, as well as to communities due to wastes' volumes, complexity and hazardousness. Additionally waste management in most developing countries is disorganized, haphazard, and under-resourced; and mainly focused on end of pipe solutions rather than prevention measures and integrated approaches. Proper waste management presents an opportunity to realize environmental, economic and social benefits and take a step on the road to a sustainable future. Therefore, there is a need to make waste management a national priority, giving it visibility, acknowledging its cross-cutting nature and allocating the necessary resources for its implementation at local level.

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20 2012, in paragraph 218 of the outcome document, has called for “the development and enforcement of comprehensive national and local waste management policies, strategies, laws and regulations.” In response to this call, UNEP IETC in collaboration with UNITAR has developed “Guidelines for national waste management strategies: Moving from challenges to opportunities” - a conceptual and methodological framework for national planning to which countries may adapt their particular circumstances. Additionally UNEP IETC has been working since 2006 with an in-house elaborated set of guidelines on the development of Integrated Solid Waste Management Plans.

AIT RRCAP is supporting the activities of the development of National and City waste management strategies and its action plans. Countries covered include Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Myanmar; South Asia: Bhutan, India and Nepal; Northeast Asia: Mongolia. Fore more details ...