The National Ozone Unit (NOU), Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, Sri Lanka in partnership with UN Environment OzonAction Branch and UNDP, conducted a workshop on 27-30 May 2019 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to discuss HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) phase-out and HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) phase-down imperatives with key stakeholders from the country.

The Global Dialogue provided a platform to share and learn about state of the art environmentally sound technologies related to different waste streams. It promoted a synergy of ideas and business opportunities in addressing global environmental challenges with focus on holistic waste management. This was in follow-up to the waste management resolutions adopted at the Fourth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA4), convened in Nairobi during 11-15 March 2019. The Global Dialogue also provided inputs in the lead up to G20 Ministerial Meeting and Summit in Osaka, Japan.

The expert group meeting aims to bring government policymakers and representatives from the civil society and the UN system to identify tools, institutional mechanisms and strategies to effectively analyze and address these interlinkages and trade-offs with a view to developing most optimal policy interventions for the SDGs in the framework of integrated approaches and policy coherence. This year’s meeting builds on the outcomes of the expert group meeting on promoting integrated approaches to sustainable development held in July 2018 in New York, which explored the concept of integrated approaches in-depth, uncovering their opportunities and challenges for sustainable development.

UNEP Symposium on Plastic Waste Problems–Reducing Ocean Plastic Waste was held as part of IETC Global Dialogue with the Private Sector on Technology Solutions for Holistic Waste Management. The Symposium aimed to share information of the current status of plastic waste issues and expertise on good practices to manage plastic waste in an environmentally sound way.