To strengthen regional cooperation on e-waste collection and recycling, including within the framework of the Agreement on Cooperation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Member States in the Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, the Fisrt Central Asian E-Waste Forum: Dialogue for Progress and Cooperation was held on February 8-9, 2024, in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.
The forum was organized by the regional program "Green Central Asia: Transboundary Dialogue on Climate, Environment, and Security in Central Asia and Afghanistan," implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Government, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Sustainable Development Promotion Center, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The Forum brought together over 70 participants, including representatives of government agencies responsible for environmental protection and statistics, non-governmental organizations, e-waste collection and recycling enterprises, business associations, equipment manufacturers, international organizations, support institutions, and leading experts from Central Asia and Europe.
Over the two-day event, participants discussed global trends and challenges in e-waste management, issues and achievements of Central Asian countries in e-waste management, the development of circular electronics principles in Central Asia, improvements in e-waste statistics, e-waste collection and recycling technologies, and extended producer and importer responsibility.
Based on the presentations and discussions, the Forum participants developed the following recommendations:
Thus, the Forum served as a starting point for further discussions and actions aimed at addressing e-waste challenges in Central Asia and developing a regional waste management system.
The forum was organized by the regional program "Green Central Asia: Transboundary Dialogue on Climate, Environment, and Security in Central Asia and Afghanistan," implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Government, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Sustainable Development Promotion Center, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The Forum brought together over 70 participants, including representatives of government agencies responsible for environmental protection and statistics, non-governmental organizations, e-waste collection and recycling enterprises, business associations, equipment manufacturers, international organizations, support institutions, and leading experts from Central Asia and Europe.
Over the two-day event, participants discussed global trends and challenges in e-waste management, issues and achievements of Central Asian countries in e-waste management, the development of circular electronics principles in Central Asia, improvements in e-waste statistics, e-waste collection and recycling technologies, and extended producer and importer responsibility.
Based on the presentations and discussions, the Forum participants developed the following recommendations:
- Strengthen regional cooperation and coordination among Central Asian countries in e-waste management, including by holding the Central Asian E-Waste Forum on a regular basis.
- Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan should accelerate domestic procedures and ratification of the Agreement on Cooperation of the CIS Member States in the Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
- Support the establishment of an alliance of manufacturers, importers of electronic and electrical equipment, e-waste recyclers, and other stakeholders.
- Enhance the development of a circular economy in the electronics sector, including by improving national legislative requirements, developing incentive measures for businesses implementing circular economy practices in the electronics sector, and creating and adopting relevant standards.
- Government agencies should strengthen legislative measures for e-waste management, including setting unified regulatory requirements for e-waste, defining requirements for different stages of the e-waste lifecycle, and implementing effective monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
- Government agencies should improve the classification of electronic and electrical equipment and enhance record-keeping and statistics on e-waste generation, collection, and recycling.
- Strengthen cooperation and coordination among authorized environmental protection agencies on the transboundary movement of hazardous waste in line with the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, to optimize waste movement processes for safe disposal.
- Promote cooperation with e-waste recycling equipment manufacturers and facilitate the transfer of best available technologies for e-waste recycling to Central Asian countries.
- Government agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and all stakeholders should enhance efforts to implement e-waste management roadmaps presented in the National E-Waste Monitoring developed under the UNITAR project "National E-Waste Monitoring: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan."
- Government agencies of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Tajikistan should strengthen interaction and cooperation in developing national e-waste management roadmaps, planned under the UNITAR project "National E-Waste Monitoring: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan."
- NGOs, universities, and all interested parties should intensify efforts to raise consumer awareness about the hazards of e-waste and the importance of separate collection.
Thus, the Forum served as a starting point for further discussions and actions aimed at addressing e-waste challenges in Central Asia and developing a regional waste management system.