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Activity Report (2005)

In 2005, the International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) continued refocusing its activities and programmes on three pillars: i) water and sanitation; ii) disaster prevention; and iii) sustainable consumption and production, with a special focus on waste management. The underlying thrust in all three areas was the application of Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs). By the end of the year, the Iraqi marshlands project was implemented, and other projects successfully delivered in the areas of disaster management, eco-towns, and the 3-R approach. In its capacity as a Technology Centre, IETC ascribes to the Bali Strategic Plan (BSP) and supports the implementation of BSP by the ground-level application of ESTs and capacity building in developing countries.

Water and sanitation

Iraqi Marshlands Project
IETC continued to implement the project on Support for Environmental Management of the Iraqi Marshlands within the framework of the United Nations Trust Fund for Iraqi Reconstruction. This is the largest environmental project supported by the Trust Fund, and is funded with contributions from the Government of Japan with an overall budget of US$11 million. The project has been implemented in coordination with the Iraqi Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Water Resources, and Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works, as well as southern governorates, local community groups, and other stakeholders.

The project comprises five interconnected activity components, described below:

1. Data collection and baseline analysis: the project supported two main activities:

The Marshland Information Network (MIN), through which UNEP supports improved communication and facilitates data sharing among stakeholders at national and local levels. The MIN is supported in the region by one server in Amman and five in Iraq. For more on theMIN: www.estis.net/communities/min_eng/.

The Iraqi Marshlands Observation System (IMOS) was established to monitor the extent and distribution of reflooding developments and the associated changes in vegetation cover. Twenty-two maps of marshland cover were produced by August 2005 and can now be downloaded. Additional maps were computed for 2003 and 2004 (http://gridca.grid.unep.ch/xoops/html/ ).

2. Capacity Building: seven training courses provided capacity building opportunities for around 200 Iraqi participants.

Secondary training activities were organized in Iraq, in cooperation with ministries and academic institutions.

Iraqi Marshland Project - capacity building training courses Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Marshland Assessment and Monitoring (6 - 10 February) Marshland Information Network (MIN) (27 - 31 March) Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM):Policy and Integration (4 - 9 April) ESTs for Drinking Water Provision (16 - 27 May) Community Level Initiatives (11-16 June) Wetland Management (19 - 26 June) EST Assessment (1 - 3 December)

3. Pilot implementation of ESTs: the main focus of the project in 2005 was the implementation of ESTs to provide safe drinking water, as well as to demonstrate sustainable sanitation and wetland management practices. Six communities in the Thi-Qar, Missan and Basra governorates were selected for pilot implementation.

4. Awareness raising: the project organized a Public Symposium on Iraqi Marshlands, in Tokyo, in August. Attendees included the Minister of Environment of Japan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, two Iraqi parliament members, and senior representatives of Iraqi ministries. Support was also provided to community level projects in the southern governorates, with a focus on building public awareness of the environmental importance of the marshlands.

A project website was developed and is regularly updated in Arabic, English, and Japanese (http://marshlands.unep.or.jp). A project communication tool and short video were also prepared in these three languages.

5. Support for strategy development and coordination: UNEP has assumed the liaison role in donor coordination for the Iraqi marshlands. It organized a ministerial level meeting in November to review the coordination mechanism and update the matrix of activities undertaken by various Iraqi and international institutions. The project continued to utilize the Project Implementation Unit within Iraq, with the National Coordinator facilitating project activities in Iraq.

Sustainable consumption and production with special focus on waste management

IETC activities in the field of waste management are based on promoting greater application of ESTs, particularly for converting waste into a valuable resource. IETC associates closely with other ongoing international initiatives in Japan such as the 3-R and Eco-town initiatives.

3-R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Initiative
IETC partnered with Japan’s Ministry of the Environment (JMOE) in the G-8 meeting, held in Tokyo in April. UNEP's Executive Director launched the UNEP 3-R Platform following discussions with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The Platform will provide the necessary 3-R Initiative framework in developing countries. IETC is working with JMOE and JICA to develop promotion strategies for the 3-R Initiative in other countries in the Asia- Pacific region.

Eco-towns Initiative
In January, the First Asia-Pacific Eco-Business Forum was organized jointly by the City of Kawasaki and UNEP, in Kawasaki. Eco-town initiatives undertaken by
industries in the Kawasaki industrial area and by city government were presented. The event, which brought together participants from China, Japan and the Philippines, resulted in a joint recommendation to develop guidelines to facilitate implementation of the Eco-towns approach in other cities in the Asia-Pacific region based on experience gained at Kawasaki.

A meeting in Bangkok, in October, organized jointly with GEC, CityNet and APO, presented the Eco-town concept to 10 Mayors from the Asia region, leading to the implementation of Eco-town projects in at least two of the participating cities.

Resource augmentation project in Vietnam
A resource augmentation project was launched in Vietnam, in November, implemented in partnership with the Vietnam National Cleaner Production Centre (VNCPC) and Binh Dinh Sugar Company. The project consists of identifying and implementing ESTs in the areas of rainwater harvesting, wastewater reuse, and organic waste composting. IETC and VNCPC will deal with identification and design; implementation will be by the sugar company. Initial awareness raising workshops have taken
place and data collection and design of ESTs are under way.

Disaster Prevention and Management

WCDR (World Conference on Disaster Reduction)
IETC made a major effort to showcase UNEP’s work on disaster management at the WCDR conference, held in Kobe, Japan, in January. Activities included organization of a thematic session, in collaboration with UNCRD and WHO, to shape the WCDR Cluster 4 report on Understanding the Underlying Risk Factors. IETC also organized a side event and published a report entitled Environmental Management and Disaster Preparedness.

Report of the Tokage Typhoon of 2004
IETC made a detailed assessment of the damage caused by the Tokage Typhoon in Toyooka city, Japan. Causal factors of the extensive damage and flooding were highlighted, including links to forestry management, river bank management, etc.

UNDAC (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination)
UNDAC is a global rapid response system that assists national governments in coordinating relief efforts during a disaster event. UNEP nominated a member of IETC staff for an intensive training course organized by UNDAC. IETC now has one of the six UNDAC trained personnel in UNEP and the only one in the Asia-Pacific region

Forestry waste management
IETC initiated a project on the Use of Environmentally Sound Technologies in Forestry Waste Management for Disaster Prevention, implemented in the Banyumas district of Java Island, Indonesia. The project aims to apply ESTs to ensure sustainable forestry management and thus growth of the local economy based on forest products and wastes.

ESTIS (Environmentally Sound Technologies Information System)

Development of ESTIS continued, to provide a tool for establishing and maintaining an Internet-based network for sharing and dissemination of information. For more
information, see www.estis.net.

Nine new networks were established in 2005. ESTIS is now being used by other UN agencies such as WHO and UN-DESA for specific projects, and is also available in
Arabic and French. The first ESTIS server in Africa was set up in Benin, in May.

For full report of UNEP DTIE activity, please visit at: http://www.unep.fr/en/about/activity_report.htm

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