International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC)

From the past 30 Years to the next 30 years
Takehiro NakamuraHead, International Environmental Technology Centre
3 October 2022

IETC was established by and for our member States

UNEP-IETC was established in 1992 based on thedecision of the UNEP Governing Council .
The mandate given was clear: to facilitate thetransfer of environmentally sound technologies
focusing on urban environmental and freshwater
issues.
In recent years, UNEP-IETC has focused its
activities on environmentally sound managementof solid waste to implement UNEP’s Medium-term
Strategies and Programmes of Work.

By courtesy of Akiko Doi, GEC

IETC is an important part of UNEP

UNEP
6 Regional Offices

7 Divisions

Economy Division

Chemicals andHealth Branch

Secretariats of 7 Multi-lateral
Environmental Agreements

1992

Establishment

1990’sDatabase of environmental technologies

2000 -

3R Projects, Eco-town project,environmentally sound management ofwastes, e.g. E-waste

2012

2 IETC offices were merged
Special unit on waste management

International
Environmental
Technology Centre(Osaka)
International Advisory Board (IAB)

Vision:A Global Centre of Excellence ofEnvironmentally Sustainable
Management of Waste

2015 -Global and Regional Waste Management
Outlook2017 -Waste Management and Climate Change

2015 - 2021

Project for Minamata Convention

2020 -UNEP Sustainability Action

2020 - 2021

Covid-19/Plastic Waste

2022

30th Anniversary

IETC promotes and facilitates transfer ofenvironmentally sound technologies
1997-2006: Environmentally Sound Technologies (EST) initiative• maESTro – EST database• ESTIS – information management system supporting tool
2005-2011: Wastewater reuse technologies and water footprint

2008-2012: Development and application of the
Sustainability Assessment of Technologies Methodology
IETC’s future vision: Removing barriers in technology transferrequires trade discussion, financial mechanisms, protection ofintellectual property right. IETC will address these barriers in
the field of waste management.

IETC promotes integrated Solid Waste Management
2009-2012: Training manuals and guidelines on Integrated Solid Waste Management• Application of the training manuals and guidelines at the pilot activity sites• Compendia of Environmentally Sound Management of Technologies
2007 to present: Assisting electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) disposal• Developing strategies and policies, and transferring technology for effectively
managing waste, including e-waste.
• guidelines series on e-waste.
IETC’s future vision: IETC will integrate both upstream anddownstream management of waste into a holistic waste
management system, with the polluter-pays principle in mind.
IETC will support the member States to shift their waste
By courtesy of Vincent Sweeney,
practices to environmentally-sound waste management.

UNEP Caribbean sub-regional office

IETC advocates circularity in waste sector
2008 to present: Assisting plastic waste recycling and reuse• Technology compilation on turning plastic into fuel in Asia
• “Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability (2018)”
Global plastic value chain and estimated losses toIETC’s future vision:
the environment for 2015
IETC will support UN member states totransition from a linear to circular
economy and zero waste. IETC will aim toreach a global recycling rate of 50% by
2050.

IETC will provide information and goodpractices to the Inter-governmental
Negotiating Committee for a legallybinding instrument on plastic pollution

IETC addresses water, wastewater andsolid waste issues related to conflicts and disasters
2006 to 2015: Disaster waste disposal
Provided technologies and technical assistance in the disposal of disaster wasteafter the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the Nepal earthquake, andthe Great East Japan Earthquake.
,2004-2013: Implementation of project on Iraqi marshland environmentalmanagement• Environmental data collection and monitoring• Environmental policies for marshland recovery and stability• Water supply and wastewater treatment
IETC’s future vision: IETC will work with disaster and post conflict response teams
to address immediate needs of the Member States in the disposal of disaster debris
and conflict-related waste.

IETC functions as a knowledge and information hub
on waste management
2015 to present: Conducting surveys related to global waste
management• “Global Waste Management Outlook” (2015), a report thatprovides an outlook on global waste management.
• Associated regional and Small Island Developing States
Waste Management Outlook were issued.
• “Global Waste Management Outlook 2” is under finalization.

IETC’s future vision: IETC will be a knowledge hub onenvironmentally sound waste management including policies,
technologies and expertise related to waste. IETC will proactively
engage itself with knowledge and technology transfer to waste
stakeholders.

IETC highlights social issues related to waste
Gender mainstreaming in waste sector
Bhutan and Nepal have developed National Waste
Management Strategy and Action Plans that includes genderanalysis and actions (e.g. collecting gender disaggregate
data, allocating budget, developing awareness materials)
Informal sector
IETC’s work on waste always consider informal sectors
IETC’s future vision: IETC will be active on taking rightsbased approach to address issues of the mostmarginalized and disadvantaged groups of population,such as women, children and the informal workers in thewaste sector and to promote their active participation inwaste management.

IETC is a partnership-based centre
Participants at the partnership meeting, 14 September 2022
Partners

Ministry of the Environment
Penang State Government
Osaka City Government
City of Kitakyushu
Kawasaki City Government
IGES Centre Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental
Technologies
Global Environment Centre Foundation
International Lake Environment Committee
The Asia Foundation
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Mehran University of Engineering and Technology
National Cleaner Production Centre
World Wildlife FundLEAD Nepal
Minamata Environmental Academia
Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
Secretariat of Minamata ConventionCountryJapan
Malaysia
JapanJapan
Japan
Japan
Japan
Japan
Mongolia
South Africa
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
BhutanNepal
Japan
Switzerland
Switzerland

IETC’s future vision:
IETC will apply a multistakeholder approach going
beyond public-private
partnership and promoting
cross-sectoral dialogues,cooperation and coordination
between national and local
governments, waste
management industries, theprivate sector, and civil society
organisations.

UNEP-IETC 30th Anniversary website:
https://www.unep.org/ietc/30thanniversary/towards-zero-waste-societyInternational Environmental Technology Centre
Economy Division
UNEP

UNEP-IETC
https://www.unep.org/ietc/

www.unep.org