Towards a Pollution Free Planet: Addressing Waste Management Challenges in Countries Affected by Disasters and Conflicts in West Asia

During the last decade, waste generation in all forms has increased in different parts of the world. The unforeseen population growth along economic development and increasing unsustainable consuming pattern play a role in the growth of waste generated in the world. The West Asia region is no exception and has also witnessed an increase in waste generation that was estimated at around 60.4 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2016 with the informal sector collecting an estimated 7.1 per cent of this and about 16.8 per cent remaining uncollected^[1]. Due to inappropriate management of waste along an increasing diversity in its composition, enormous amount of waste is lost to the environment which contributes to pollution.

The past and current disasters and conflicts in the region produce hazardous, construction and industrial wastes and pollution. This exacerbates the waste management challenges in West Asian countries beset by disasters and conflicts. Despite this challenge, countries beset by disasters and conflicts in the West Asia region lack adequate capacity to plan and implement appropriate measures to control and prevent pollution from wastes generated by disasters and conflicts. 

UNEP West Asia Office in collaboration with International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) is organizing this capacity building workshop with a focus on management of wastes generated from disasters and conflicts in Radisson Blue Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon.

Objective:

The objective of the workshop is to enhance the capacity of national authorities in West Asia to respond to, and treat, waste caused by disasters and conflicts and prevent subsequent pollution. The objective will be achieved by providing sound and practical guidelines to help the national authorities manage disaster and conflict waste. 

After the participating in this workshop, the participants will have gained:

• Knowledge on development and implementation of a national plan for disaster and conflict waste management.
• Improved understanding on practical measures to manage disasters and conflicts waste.

Target Audience:

The workshop is designed for policy and technical staff from line ministries and national agencies who are involved in (a) waste management; and (b) disaster response.

The workshop is designed for 18 participants as follows:

• Participants nominated by the environmental agencies from the West Asian countries affected by disasters and conflicts, namely Republic of Iraq, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Lebanon, State of Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, Republic of Yemen