The highly anticipated closing event of the China Integrated Waste Management (IWM) project took place in Beijing on 18 and 19 May, signalling a significant milestone in China’s waste management industry. Co-organized by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and China Association of Urban Environmental Sanitation (CAUES), the event brought together key stakeholders to celebrate the accomplishments of the project and set the stage for the future of waste management in the country. The event welcomed participants from physical and virtual platforms, with over 150 influential representatives from various sectors and over 41,000 views in the online-live streaming room.
Launched in September 2017, the project, with its six-year duration, has garnered international recognition as an ambitious initiative funded by the Mitigation Action Facility. Supported by the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MoHURD) and executed by GIZ and CAUES, its primary goal has been to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within China’s waste management sector and foster the transformation of the municipal waste management industry.
The opening session of the closing event featured notable speakers, including Mr Fan Hongliang from the Department of Urban Construction of MoHURD, Mr Zhang Zhenshan from UN-Habitat, Ms Harriet Hall from the British Embassy in China, Mr Xu Wenlong from the China Association of Urban Environmental Sanitation, and Mr Martin Hofmann from GIZ East Asia. They praised the achievements of the IWM project and provided their expectations and suggestions for the future of waste management in China.
The event also included keynote speeches from Mr Liu Jinghao, Vice-President of China Association of Urban Environmental Sanitation and Ms Melissa Tan, and Ms Liu Xiao, both Regional Development Network Representatives, who discussed topics such as China’s waste management development, global trends and challenges in waste management, and the project’s outcomes.
A highlight of the event was an award ceremony honouring the efforts of the five demonstration cities – Suzhou, Bengbu, Xi’an, Lanzhou, and Tai’an. Representatives from these cities received awards and certificates recognising their status as “Demonstration Municipalities of China Integrated Waste Management (IWM)”. This commendation highlighted their outstanding contributions and accomplishments during the project’s Implementation Phase.
Over the course of the event, renowned domestic and foreign waste management experts shared their insights on the field’s trends and challenges in seven technical sessions that explored crucial aspects of waste management: integrated waste management, low-carbon development, demo cities, sanitation in China, plastic pollution control, environmental education and public awareness raising.
The event also provided a platform for fruitful discussions and exchanges during four dialogue sessions; “MSW Management: China in the World,” “Marine Waste Management – Plastic Reduction Certification System,” “Promoting Integrated Waste Management and Low-carbon Development,” and “From Waste Management to Social Governance: The Touchstone of Social Civilization”, which captured the attention of participants, fostering meaningful engagement and generating renewed ideas.
Watch videos [with English subtitles] of the five demonstration cities.
Visit the project’s official website [available in English] to learn more about it.