A range of organisations within the United Nations have co-signed a Letter of Intent, which it is hoped will pave the way for greater collaboration and coordination on the management of e-waste.
The signatories included bodies such as: UN Environment; United Nations University; the International Telecommunication Union; the International Labour Organisation; the Basel and Stockholm Convention; the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation; and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
The Letter of Intent was prompted by the work of the Environment Management Group, that is currently promoting system-wide action on e-waste across UN organisations. Two key reports, detailing both the global e-waste situation, and the UN’s efforts to address it, were published at the end of last year.
The latter report, the United Nations System-wide Response to Tackling E-waste, called for increased and more rigid collaboration between the various UN bodies, but stated that more than twenty such organisations have been active in fighting the issue since 2004, with over 150 initiatives undertaken in that time.
A range of outcomes are expected as a result of the Letter of Intent, including the increased recognition of e-waste-related work by organisations, as well as a deeper dialogue with manufacturers and recyclers, negotiations towards an e-waste coalition, and knowledge-sharing partnerships with private sector entities.
