Capacity Building on Plastic Waste Management and Circular Economy

 1. Background 

Plastic pollution is a major global issue, particularly impacting developing countries with significant marine ecosystems. These countries struggle with inadequate waste management systems, leading to plastic waste leakage into their environments. The root causes of these issues include limited financial resources, lack of public awareness, and insufficient regulatory frameworks. Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam contribute significantly to marine plastic pollution, while Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as Timor-Leste face severe impacts on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

Addressing plastic pollution requires a comprehensive approach involving capacity building, technological innovation, policy development, and community engagement. Global partnerships between governments, civil society, private sector, and international organizations are essential for implementing effective plastic waste management strategies. City-to-city cooperation is also crucial for addressing the issue at the municipal level and promoting a circular economy.

Ulsan International Development Cooperation Center (UIDCC) and the International Environmental Technology Centre of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) are organizing a capacity-building program to support developing countries in managing plastic waste more effectively and sustainably. This program focuses on sharing best practices and fostering regional networks to empower stakeholders to take action against plastic pollution.

2. General Objective 

Develop a capacity building program aimed at generating and sharing knowledge, experiences and practices in plastic waste management with focus on countries in Southeast Asia, ensuring the strengthening of capacities through mutual learning. The capacity building will engage government representatives and experts of the private sector, industry associations, academia, and other related stakeholders. 

3. Date and Venue 

Date: 7 May 2024 

Time: 10:30 - 12:00

Venue: Hotel Hyundai by Lahan, Kokkiri Factory and Kyungsan 

(Pre-registation not required) 

4. Agenda

9:30-10:30 Openeing Statement 

- Ulsan Metropolitan City (Mayor or Vice Mayor of Ulsan) 

- UNEP-IETC (TBD) 

- Ulsan College (Chancellor of Ulsan College) 

- Recap from Day 1 and general announcements for Day 2 

10:30-12:00 Plastic Financial Mechanism 

- Speaker 1: Sang Hyeon Lee. Ph.D. 

Funds for plastic waste, Finance Mechanism of Ulsan, Global Finance Mechanism 

- Speaker 2: World Bank (TBC) 

- Speaker 3: ADB (TBC)