12th World Urban Forum

Lebanon-Germany dialogue on integrated solid waste management: building a sustainable and circular future

  • Events 05.11.2024
  • Location Cairo, Egypt

Crisis-ridden Lebanon is on the brink of a health crisis caused by the near collapse of its waste disposal infrastructure. Germany on the other side implements a comprehensive approach to waste management, including recycling, waste-to-energy incineration, and strict regulations on landfill disposal: By prioritising the waste mitigation hierarchy and "R principles" (Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle and Recover), Germany has significantly reduced its landfill waste and environmental impact.

This high-level event as part of the twelfth World Urban Forum will bring together key stakeholders from Lebanon and Germany on 5 November 2024 from 3 pm to discuss challenges, best practices and lessons learned in their pursuit of efficient and sustainable integrated solid waste management. The event will cover discussions related to the development of waste management strategies at national and local levels – including but not limited to the importance of adopting a systematic approach to economic development that aims to reduce, reuse, recycle and recover materials and products, moving away from environmentally hazardous disposal methods like open burning, dumping and landfilling, as well as encouraging behavioural change against littering. The panellists, Bassam Sabbagh from the Lebanese Ministry of Environment, Susanne Altvater from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, Lamia Mansour, Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank, and Georges Abi Sleiman from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, will also cover the critical role of data in informing evidence-based decision-making for waste management and the formulation of policy recommendations for national institutions to foster long-term sustainability in the waste management sector. The event will also share insights of the project "Reducing Marine Litter in the Mediterranean through Waste Wise Cities Lebanon". Burcu Gözet, Senior Researcher in the Circular Systems Research Unit at the Wuppertal Institute, will moderate the discussion.

The World Urban Forum was established by the United Nations in 2001 to examine rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies. Participants at the twelfth World Urban Forum, which is co-organised by the Egyptian government, include representatives of national, regional and local governments, academics, business people, community leaders, urban planners and civil society representatives.

Further information and the possibility to register can be found via the following link.


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