Regional Technical Workshop on Strengthening Integrated Solid Waste Management Policies and the Circular Economy

Introduction

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and its United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), together with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of the Government of the Dominican Republic are organizing the Regional Technical Workshop on Strengthening Integrated Solid Waste Management Policies and the Circular Economy, which will take place from March 10 to 12, 2026 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Workshop Objectives

The proposed workshop aims to assess progress and challenges in integrated waste management and the circular economy among participating countries and to jointly define areas for continued cooperation and support. This workshop builds on a regional collaboration initiated through a regional dialogue in 2024, as well as subsequent regional meetings, both online and in person, including technical workshops at the 2025 World Circular Economy Forum in São Paulo, Brazil.

This workshop also aims to advance the implementation of:

• Review and follow up on the Circular Economy Agenda developed with the countries during a regional workshop held in São Paulo, Brazil, in May 2025.

• Implement the Waste Management and Circular Economy Policy Support System (WMPSS), an online self-assessment tool jointly developed by UNOSD and the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP). This tool enables users to comprehensively assess progress in waste management (including governance, capacity building, financing, monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and system status) and receive a confidential country report with visualizations and customized recommendations using artificial intelligence. The platform allows for annual updates to track progress, strengthens evidence-based policymaking, and facilitates regional cooperation and peer learning through workshops.

• This meeting will analyze progress in national circular economy strategies and indicators associated with circular economy policies developed by ECLAC within the framework of the technical assistance the Commission provides to countries in support of national circularity roadmaps and strategies. Regulatory instruments, such as regulations for single-use plastics, will also be discussed.

• Strengthening the quality, availability, and use of information on solid waste management and the circular economy through the Solid Waste and Circular Economy Hub, promoted by the IDB. The Hub helps close quantitative data gaps through the use of digital tools and new technologies, promotes methodological harmonization, the integration of solid waste management into official statistics, and the exchange of best practices, supporting decision-making, public policies, and the identification of evidence-based investments.

• In the case of the Dominican Republic, this event is linked to the La Duquesa Landfill Technical Closure Project, which represents a historic transition from the traditional final disposal model to an integrated waste management approach aligned with the principles of the circular economy. This will be a practical model explored during the workshop.

Main organizers and partners

• United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) under the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)

• United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

• UN DESA Statistics Division

• United Nations Environment Programme (Green Growth Knowledge Platform) (UNEP/GGKP)

• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

• Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of the Government of the Dominican Republic

• K-eco and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment of the Republic of Korea

• German Cooperation GIZ

Participants and target audience

Technical-level government officials from the Latin America and Caribbean region responsible for waste management and/or the circular economy at the national level. Participants must be able to present, on behalf of their country, the current state of waste management and the circular economy at the national level during the event, including the results of applying the WPMSS tool https://wastepolicysupport.org/ . To strengthen inter-ministerial cooperation, delegations include a national focal point for waste and a focal point for statistics.

Preparations

To ensure participation that supports the workshop's objectives, it is essential that participating countries complete the preliminary self-assessment on the platform https://wastepolicysupport.org . The results will inform the national presentations and peer learning. Please confirm the name and contact details of the national focal point to grant access to the system. We are available to assist you in completing the questionnaire and preparing the national results presentations to be delivered during the workshop.

Contact

For more information, please contact Wonju Kim ( Wonju.kim@un.org ) or Karina Martinez ( Karina.Martinez@cepal.org ).

Language

The workshop will be conducted in Spanish and English (with simultaneous interpretation).