[2025] Workshop and Accelerator Session at the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2025
Description
The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2025 will convene from 13 to 16 May 2025 at Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In its ninth edition, WCEF will explore the potential of tropical solutions for sustainable growth, the power of the regenerative economy and the strategies of a bioeconomy—alongside the indispensable role of the production sector in driving the transition toward a circular economy. During the WCEF2025, UNOSD will organize two events: "Measuring what we waste - regional strategies and diagnostic tools for waste management and resource circularity in Latin America and the Caribbean" on 14 May 2025 and "WCEF2025 Accelerator Session: Measuring progress and promoting circularity through public policies in Latin America and the Caribbean" on 15 May 2025 at Pullman Sao Paulo Ibirapuera. Please find below the details of each event.
14 May - Measuring what we waste - regional strategies and diagnostic tools for waste management and resource circularity in Latin America and the Caribbean
Documents
Concept Note and Agenda (updated as of 14 May 2025)
Background and Objectives
This one-day session will convene national government representatives on waste and circular economy to improve national data collection, compare data quality challenges and discuss current certainty levels of regional data on waste and resource circularity. The session will provide an open discussion platform to assess national capacity gaps and needs on waste and resource circularity. The closed-door session will also provide a platform to define technical cooperation priorities with regional Member States towards developing a roadmap and future cooperation activities.
Organizers
This regional workshop is to be co-organized by UNOSD, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)/BID Invest, and Korea Environment Corporation, Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea.
Programme and Agenda
Opening Remarks
- Mr. Chun Kyoo Park, Head, United Nations Office for Sustainable Development, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
- Mr. Luiz Fernando Krieger Merico, Senior Officer, UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Introductory Remarks
- Mr. Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary of Urban Environment, Water Resources and Environmental Quality, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil
- Mr. Lenin Ramon Bueno Rodriguez, Vice Minister for Environmental Management, Dominican Republic
- Mr. Jae Woong Jeong, Executive Director, Resource Recirculation Management, Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco), Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea
Session I: Measuring What We Waste - Global to regional progress towards waste and circularity data
Moderator: Ms. Sara Castro de Hallgren, Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD, DSDG, UNDESA
- Ms. Sara Castro de Hallgren, Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD, DSDG, UNDESA - Introducing the Waste Management and Circular Economy Policy Support Platform
- Ms. Magda Correal, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB/BID) - Measuring Solid Waste and Circular Economy for LAC - the Waste and Circular Economy Hub
- Mr. Jong-su Sun, Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco), Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea - Paving the Way for a Sustainable Korea: The Success of Resource Circulation
Session II: Assessing national capacity gaps in financing waste management and resource circularity
Moderator: IADB and UNOSD
- Mr. Christian Kaufholz, Head, Global Strategy and Partnerships, Global Plastic Action Partnership, World Economic Forum - Presentation on financing waste management and circularit
- Group exercise with countries - country groups complete and discuss self-diagnostic tool on waste - Deep dive on financing section of questionnaire
Country Presentations and Dialogue Session-Scaling Waste Management Priorities and Cooperation for Resource Circularity
Moderator: ECLAC/UNOSD/IADB
- Brazil - Mr. Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary of Urban Environment, Water Resources and Environmental Quality, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change
- Trinidad and Tobago – Ms. Abigail Whitehall, Head, Programmes & Technical Services Department, SWMCOL
- Dominican Republic – Ms. Yvelisse Pérez, PhD, Advisor, Ministry of Environmental Management
- Colombia – Mr. Diego Cobaleda Martínez, Coordinator, General Environmental and Economic Synthesis, National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE)
- Uruguay – Ms. Silvana Martínez, Director, National Directorate of Environmental Quality and Evaluation and Mr. Franco Cocchiararo, Advisor, Ministry of Environment
- Ecuador – Mr. Mirko Antonio Esparza, Analyst, Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition
- Guatemala - Ms. Annelisse Fernandez Moreno, Special Advisor - Natural Resources and Climate Change, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources
- Summary presentation - ECLAC/IADB/UNOSD - Next steps for waste management, data and measurement within regional circular economy processes (in preparation for May 15 Accelerator Session)
15 May - WCEF2025 Accelerator Session: Measuring progress and promoting circularity through public policies in Latin America and the Caribbean
Documents
Concept Note and Agenda (updated as of 14 May 2025)
Background and Objectives
Circular economy strategies at different levels of government are essential to ensuring a transition towards circularity. Measuring progress and impacts towards a circular economy is, therefore, an important part of these public policies. Currently, there is no agreed-upon measure to assess how circular an economy is, making it difficult for countries to compare peer to peer progress. Additionally, there is no harmonized framework to monitor progress towards a circular economy or to support more circular solid waste management. In this context, to foster concerted regional progress on circular economy enabling conditions, this Accelerator Session aims to address data and capacity gaps to better measure regional progress and ensure evidence-based policymaking for a circular economy. The adoption of a comparable and replicable set of indicators to complement national strategies is the main topic that will be covered in this session.
Organizers
This regional workshop is to be co-organized by UNOSD, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)/BID Invest
Target Audience
Policymakers from national governments of Latin America and the Caribbean. In person only.
Programme and Agenda
Moderator: Ms. Karina Martinez, ECLAC
Introductory Session
- Mr. Luiz Fernando Krieger Merico, Senior Officer UN-ECLAC
- Ms. Silvia Ortiz Stradtmann, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist IADB
Opening Remarks
- Mr. Chun Kyoo Park, Head, United Nations Office for Sustainable Development, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
- Mr. Jae Woong Jeong, Executive Director, Resource Recirculation Management, K-Eco - Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea
Country Cases to Measure Circularity
Moderator: IADB
- Peru: The case of Peru on statistical information and circular economy - Ms. Maria Ysabel Valle Martinez, Vice-minister of MYPE and Industry
- Colombia: Tracking circular economy statistical information - Mr. Diego Cobaleda, Representative of the National Statistical Department (DANE)
- Brazil: Statement from São Paulo - Mr. Mauro Haddad Nieri, Director of SP Regula, Municipality of São Paulo
- Argentina: Implementing Buenos Aires’ Circular Economy Strategy - Ms. Analia Flores, Secretariat of Environment, Autonomous City of Buenos Aire
- Germany: Measuring Circularity in Germany - Öko-Institut E.V. Institut for Applied Ecology
Digital Innovations for Measuring Resource Circularity
Moderator: ECLAC and UNOSD
- Korea’s Industrial Waste Collection, Transport, and Disposal Tracking System (Allbaro System – IT based total waste data and management tracking system for industrial waste in Korea) - Mr. Kwangnyung Lee, Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco), Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea
- Satellite-based MRV methodologies for measuring circularity - Mr. Henrique Bezerra, Energy Market Specialist, Global Methane Hub
Closing Dialogue on Regional Indicators for Measuring Progress on a Circular Economy
Moderator: Ms. Sara Castro de Hallgren, Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD, DSDG, UNDESA
- Circular Economy Indicators for LAC: building indicators for national strategies - Mr. Luiz Fernando Krieger Merico and Ms. Estefani Rondon, SDHSD/ECLAC
Code of Conduct
The organizations of the United Nations system are committed to enabling events at which everyone can participate in an inclusive, respectful and safe environment.
UN system events are guided by the highest ethical and professional standards, and all participants are expected to behave with integrity and respect towards all participants attending or involved with any UN system event: https://www.un.org/en/content/codeofconduct/