International Day of Zero Waste 2024; March 30th.

FORUM: “Reaching the zero-waste goal.” International Day of Zero Waste 2024. Climate change and conflicts are unfortunate examples of current interlocking crises. Being one of the aspects of these challenges, waste generation and associated pollution threaten the global environment and human health. Waste pollution threatens human health, costs the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year, and aggravates the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution. Boosting waste management at all levels remains an urgent priority. To solve the waste pollution crisis, humanity must fully embrace a zero-waste approach. This entails responsible production and consumption patterns through promoting a life cycle approach. In 2020, the global direct cost of waste management was estimated to be at USD 252 billion. When factoring in the hidden costs of pollution, poor health and climate change from poor waste disposal practices, the cost rises to USD 361 billion. Without urgent action on waste management, by 2050 this global annual cost could almost double to a staggering USD 640.3 billion. However, the report’s modelling shows that getting waste under control by taking waste prevention and management measures could limit net annual costs by 2050 to USD 270.2 billion. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #sdg12, #zerowasteDay, #30March.

Statement of the United Nations Secretary-general on behalf the International Day of Zero waste 2024.

Our planet is drowning under a torrent of trash.

Every year, humanity produces more than 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste. Rotting food, plastic bottles, chemical-laced electronics and much more is tossed away without regard for our water, land and air.

As trash decays, it spews planet-warming greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, poisons our water and soil, and inflicts illness, disease and even death among people around the world.

Overconsumption is killing us. Humanity needs an intervention.

Since last year, the Advisory Board on Zero Waste has been bringing partners together around this critical issue and what needs to be done to make zero waste a reality.

Businesses must rethink their products to minimize wasteful packaging and maximize longevity and lifecycle.

Consumers must think twice about the goods and products they purchase and recycle or reuse wherever possible.

Governments at all levels must build circular economies that address resource depletion and management and invest in modern waste-management programmes anchored in reuse, remanufacturing, recovery and waste prevention.

And the global community must stand as one and work towards achieving a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution.

On this Zero Waste Day, let’s pledge to end the destructive cycle of waste, once and for all.

United Nations Secretary-General.

Remarks by the United Nations General Assembly President on behalf the Commemoration of the International Day of Zero Waste 2024; March 30th.

Your Excellency, Sedat Önal, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Türkiye to the United Nations, Ms. Ligia Noronha, Head of UNEP New York Office, Ms. Mr. Michal Mlynár, Acting Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me begin by commending the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Türkiye, the United Nations Environment Programme, and UN-Habitat for co-organizing today’s event – marking the International Day of Zero Waste. We are all deeply appreciative of your ongoing efforts to promote zero-waste initiatives – contributing to advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I think it more than appropriate to pay tribute to the distinguished First Lady of the Republic of Türkiye, Ms. Emine Erdoğan, the protagonist and initiator of the Zero Waste project in her own country. It was the astounding success of this that motivated the General Assembly to the adoption of a resolution tabled by the Republic of Türkiye – declaring 30 March as the International Day of Zero Waste.

Excellencies, The numbers and trends speak for themselves in describing the situation as nothing short of harrowing: 2.24 billion tons of municipal solid waste are generated annually, around 931 million tons of food is lost or wasted each year, up to 14 million tons of plastic waste enters aquatic ecosystems,
and food loss and waste accounts for up to 10 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions – significantly contributing to the climate crisis. Without urgent action, it is projected that annual municipal solid waste generation will hit 3.8 billion tons by 2050. Moreover – if we cling to the business-as-usual mentality – we will have more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.

Excellencies, Today – as we commemorate this important day – we urgently need to pause and rethink the unsustainable linear development model of “take, make and dispose” we have been so actively pursuing. It is high time we replace that model with sustainable practices of production and consumption to minimize our ecological footprint – including adopting a circular approach that promotes a resource efficiency model of reduce, reuse and recycle.

To achieve this, we must shift our perspective and accelerate our efforts to develop and implement zero-waste initiatives to foster the environmentally sound management of waste; the minimization of waste; and – where feasible – the total prevention of waste. Such a societal shift should not be a burden. Rather, it should be seen as an opportunity not only to mitigate environmental harm but also to foster innovation, create green jobs, and promote social inclusion. It should also be viewed as an opportunity to invest in sustainable infrastructure, prioritize eco-friendly technologies, and empower communities to become true stewards of their own environment. Allow me to also reiterate the commitments made by the world leaders in the 2023 SDG Summit political declaration – which acknowledged the serious threats posed by plastic, air, and chemical pollution, and expressed firm support for an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. I am also deeply grateful to share this moment with a youth representative. The youth are the change-makers. Their perspectives and actions are absolutely critical in our efforts to reach zero waste – and they deserve a say on such matters that have a life-changing impact on their future.

Meeting our zero waste objectives and targets requires a comprehensive multi-stakeholders approach, at all levels – from grassroots initiatives to national policies, from corporate boardrooms to international fora. Our approach must also square the circle to encompass policy alignment, knowledge sharing, capacity-building, resource mobilization, and technology transfer. Importantly – and in the true spirit of leaving no one behind – our commitment and indeed our transition to Zero Waste must be beneficial to all, especially countries in special situations.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me close by reiterating that our commemoration today is rooted in a robust commitment to pursue and attain sustainability within the framework of the 2030 Agenda – through, among other things, converting to sustainable patterns of production and consumption. To this end, sustainability remains one of the core priorities of my Presidency – the full manifestation of which will be rolled out during the inaugural Sustainability Week I will be convening from 15 to 19 April. I envision that this Week of back-to-back high-level engagements will spark in-depth discussions on transport, tourism, energy, infrastructure, and debt sustainability and socio-economic equality – propelling substantial progress in these key sectors of the economy.

I further expect that Zero Waste initiatives – with their cross-cutting relevance across these sectors – will feature prominently in the discussions. Furthermore, it is my sincere hope that the harvest from this Week will both inform the deliberations of the Summit of the Future and accelerate momentum towards attaining all the SDGs. The journey towards Zero Waste does not by any means involve a simple unplanned destination – but rather, a continuous process of learning, adaptation and innovation. As the President of the General Assembly, I will play my part – and I call upon us all to harness the power of collective action and solidarity to turn the tide on waste.

I wish you all a fruitful discussion.

I thank you.

H.E Mr. Dennis Francis; United Nations General Assembly President.

EVENTS:  International Day of Zero Waste 2024 - To celebrate the second annual International Day of Zero Waste, offices and partners from around the world are invited to organize activities and events, including creative exhibits, panel discussions, social media campaigns, training sessions and waste collection drives.

On March 26th, 2024; The UNEP, UN-Habitat and partners will organize a webinar entitled "Zero Waste Futures" | Online | 10–11:30 a.m. ET, 4–5:30 p.m. CET, 6–7:30 p.m. EAT..The UNEP International Environment Technology Centre, the Caribbean Sub-Regional Office (CSRO) and the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP (CYMG) will co-organize this online event targeting stakeholders across regions and oceans, especially youth and experts to promote the global shift towards zero waste. Register to participate.


South-East Europe Pollution Platform | Vienna & online | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CET (26 March); 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (27 March). The conference aims to facilitate and foster discussions on current and innovative strategies, possibilities, policies and practices that promote waste prevention, reduction, recycling, and circular economy principles to create a cleaner and healthier environment in the Western Balkan economies. Additionally, it will actively encourage collaboration amongst different actors and sectors, aiming to promote sustainable practices and the adoption of environmentally friendly technologies. Learn more and register.


On March 27th, 2024 - the United nations observance of the CR-12, starting at 10–11:30 a.m. ET will be held in United Nations Headquarters, New York. Member States and stakeholders are invited to share initiatives promoting zero waste at various levels to reduce waste generation and enhance responsible waste management.

UNEP/UN-Habitat observance  "Underscore the critical importance of collective action in driving forward zero-waste initiatives."| CR-4, United Nations Office at Nairobi | 3–4:30 p.m. EAT. The UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste will announce outstanding zero-waste practices during the event, which is co-organized with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Türkiye. Tune in. 

UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 launch | Online | 8:30–9:30 a.m. EDT, 1:30–2:30 p.m. CET, 3:30–4:30 p.m. EAT. The UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 authors, government representatives, and food waste and loss experts share their expertise through discussions of the report’s key findings. Tune in.

The Geneva Environment Network; On March “30th; online | 2–3:30 p.m. CET | 2–3:30 p.m. CET for the occasion of the second observation of the International Day of Zero Waste, will held a webinar and in person-event will align with the objectives of raising awareness of national, sub-national, regional and local zero-waste initiatives and their contributions to advance the beat waste pollution agenda. This event will highlight the role of Geneva as a major global hub for the governance of hazardous substances and home to several international organizations and multilateral environmental agreements aiming at reaching the zero-waste goal, and will celebrate the steps taken by actors to move forward the zero-waste agenda. Register to participate to the event!

On March 30th, the GAIA will held a panel discussion entitled ‘‘The Year of Zero Waste: From Momentum to Action’’ | Online | 9 a.m. CET, 11 a.m. EAT, 1:30 p.m. IST, 9 p.m. NZDT. Policymakers, grassroots community leaders, climate and waste finance experts, and zero-waste implementers' discuss how to escalate progress on zero waste worldwide based on current trends, obstacles and proven strategies. Register.

On March 30th, a webinar entitled ‘‘Zero-waste City Construction: A sustainable action to beat waste pollution.’’ will be held Online | 11 p.m. EET, 12 p.m. EAT, 5 p.m. CST.City representatives from Australia, Brazil, China, Lebanon and New Zealand showcase practices of zero-waste initiatives in different regions. Register.

Get involved in the 2024 Zero Waste Month workshops, conferences and awareness campaign!

Week of 1 April - Global Zero Waste: Día Mundial Basura Cero | Online | 3 April; 9 a.m. COT, 3 p.m. CET: Global Zero Waste will host keynote speeches and share success stories and presentations of new challenges. Learn more.


Week of 11 March - Zero Waste Europe: Impactful policies | Online; The second week of Zero Waste Europe's month-long International Zero Waste Day campaign focuses on impactful policies. Learn more.


Northern California Recycling Association: Recycling Update | California, United States | 11 March; 8 a.m. PDT; NCRA's Recycling Update features 25 experts on the spectrum of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot, as well as networking opportunities and plenty of ideas. Learn more.


Week of 4 March - Zero Waste Europe: Prevention first | Online. The First Week of Zero Waste Europe's month-long International Zero Waste Day campaign focuses on prevention first. Learn more.

Explore the list of upcoming worldwide activities, conferences and workshops and the events maps!


PUBLICATIONS: Global Waste Management Outlook 2024 - In response to Resolution 2/7 from the second session (UNEP/EA.2/RES.7) of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and reaffirmed in Resolution 4/7 from its fourth session (UNEP/EA.4/RES.7). Jointly published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the Global Waste Management Outlook 2024 report provides an update on global waste generation and the cost of waste and its management. Municipal solid waste generation is predicted to grow from 2.3 billion tonnes in 2023 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. Only 62 percent of this waste is managed in controlled facilities. Some 2.7 billion people lack access to solid waste collection. Download the report.


STATEMENTS: Read the message of the executive-secretary of the UNEP for the International Day of Zero Waste 2024; March 30th.

LIVESTREAM

15 March 2012

Secretary-General SG/SM/14163 ENV/DEV/1262 OBV/1075

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Unwise Use of Water Will Result in Persisting Hunger, Drought, Political Instability, Secretary General Warns in Observance Message

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for World Water Day, to be observed on 22 March:

Over the coming decades, feeding a growing global population and ensuring food and nutrition security for all will depend on increasing food production.  This, in turn, means ensuring the sustainable use of our most critical finite resource — water.

The theme of this year’s World Water Day is water and food security.  Agriculture is by far the main user of freshwater.  Unless we increase our capacity to use water wisely in agriculture, we will fail to end hunger and we will open the door to a range of other ills, including drought, famine and political instability.

In many parts of the world, water scarcity is increasing and rates of growth in agricultural production have been slowing.  At the same time, climate change is exacerbating risk and unpredictability for farmers, especially for poor farmers in low-income countries who are the most vulnerable and the least able to adapt.

These interlinked challenges are increasing competition between communities and countries for scarce water resources, aggravating old security dilemmas, creating new ones and hampering the achievement of the fundamental human rights to food, water and sanitation.  With nearly 1 billion people hungry and some 800 million still lacking a safe supply of freshwater, there is much we must do to strengthen the foundations of local, national, and global stability.

Guaranteeing sustainable food and water security for all will require the full engagement of all sectors and actors.  It will entail transferring appropriate water technologies, empowering small food producers and conserving essential ecosystem services.  It will require policies that promote water rights for all, stronger regulatory capacity and gender equality.  Investments in water infrastructure, rural development and water resource management will be essential.

We should all be encouraged by the renewed political interest in food security, as evidenced by the high priority given to this issue by the agendas of the G-8 and G-20, the emphasis on the nexus of food, water and energy in the report of my Global Sustainability Panel, and the growing number of countries pledging to Scale Up Nutrition.

On this World Water Day, I urge all partners to fully use the opportunity provided by the “ Rio+20” United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.  In Rio, we need to connect the dots between water security and food and nutrition security, in the context of a green economy.  Water will play a central role in creating the future we want.

Press Conference

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Press Conference on Occasion of World Water Day

An integrated approach to water management was crucial in putting the world on the path to a sustainable future, experts said today at a Headquarters press conference to mark the occasion of World Water Day.

The fact that the Millennium Development Goals on drinking water had been met was evidence that other related targets could also be met if the international community pulled together, said Rolf Luyendijk, Senior Statistics and Monitoring Specialist with the Statistics and Monitoring Section of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

He said UNICEF was currently working to mitigate the food and water crisis in Africa’s Sahel region, recalling that a similar crisis that had started in the Horn of Africa in 2001 was continuing, with millions of people in Somalia at risk of starvation.  As for the Sahel, the Fund estimated that 5.4 million people were at risk in Niger, where about a million children suffered from under-nutrition.  People were streaming into feeding centres because the rains had not fallen, crops had not been planted and food prices had soared.

Water, sanitation, food and hygiene were inextricably linked, he noted, adding that the next billion of the world’s population were all children under the age of 10 years.  They needed access to water in order to lead “a dignified and healthy life”, said Mr. Luyendijk, who was accompanied by Ania Grobicki, Executive Secretary of the Global Water Partnership, Ana Persic, Science Programme Specialist at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Csaba Körösi, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations.

Dr. Grobicki described water as “a global issue and a global risk”, pointing out that in addition to its domestic uses, it was essential for agriculture and industry.  Water was the “engine of the economy” and also critically important in supporting biodiversity.  Noting that the Millennium Development Goal on food security would not be met this year, she said agriculture took the lion’s share of water in most countries around the world, from 70 to 90 per cent.  There was also the question of cross-border food trading, she said.

Wastewater management was a tremendous opportunity and challenge in agriculture, she continued, recalling that the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation had called for “a global vision for waste water management”.  It was also important to increase water productivity — producing more crops for every drop of water used — she said, calling upon Governments to recommit themselves to an integrated approach to solving the world’s water problems while coming up with financial strategies to implement that approach.

Ms. Persic, highlighting key findings and messages from the World Water Development Report, said it was crucial to see water as the link between the agriculture sector, energy production and human consumption.  The world’s fast-growing urban population was responsible for increasing human consumption of water, she said, adding that 1 billion households relied on groundwater, an “over-used and non-renewable” resource, and that climate change exerted an important additional pressure.  Beyond access, there was also the question of water quality in a time of pollution, she said.

Mr. Körösi, who was helping to facilitate water-related negotiations as Member States prepared for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), said that if there was a decision to create sustainable development goals at that event, water would be high on the list.  He stresesed the importance of bringing the debate on water down “from the high-flown to the down-to-earth”.

He said that a series of workshops on water-related issues had focused on issues including risk management and the impact of human activities.  Strong cooperation would be needed at the local, regional, and national levels.  He hoped that the negotiations between Member States could be “boiled down to very simple solutions”.

In response to a question about the “worst-case” water scenarios, Dr. Grobicki emphasized that there were far more instances of water cooperation than otherwise.  The more water scarcity hit, the greater incentive there was to invest in water security.

Mr. Körösi added that agreements on access to water would be necessary, but agreements on the quality of water that was returned to nature would be equally crucial.  “Imagine a river that flows through 20 countries,” he said.  If one country polluted it, all the downstream countries would be affected in terms of food, health and social structure.  That was all the more reason for “a good understanding of the integrated approach”, he added.