National Cleaner Production Centres (NCPCs): advancing Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) in developing and transition countries
CSD 18 Side Event, hosted by the Government of Switzerland and organised in collaboration with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
New York, 5 May 2010
Background
During its 18th and 19th Session, the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) will consider the thematic priorities of waste management, chemicals, mining, transport and Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSD). The focus of the 18th session in 2010 is to review progress made towards the realisation of international commitments for sustainable development, with a view to: (i) identifying best practices; (ii) assessing barriers towards implementation; and (iii) suggesting areas for policy intervention and international agreement. To support the CSD, a side event was held to highlight the results and experiences of NCPCs developed in around 50 countries and help point the way forward.
Presentations
Minister Marco Rossi, Head, Development Department, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations, referred to the total financial contribution of around 50 million SFR made to the NCPC programme by his government over the past 12 years. He commended UNIDO and UNEP for having built on the lessons learned and developed, in consultation with NCPCs, a global Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) Programme. He emphasized the main reasons for the continued support from the Government of Switzerland were:
(i) a strategic partnership between two specialized UN-agencies, UNIDO and UNEP;
(ii) a systematic and comprehensive approach based on on-the-ground experience validated in 50 countries around the world;
(iii) a knowledge management and exchange system with highly qualified international consultants and Universities;
(iv) a market based business concept to develop the NCPCs into nationally owned service providers; and
(v) a modular programme set-up with high flexibility for geographic or content preferences of donor and recipient governments.
Mr Rene Van Berkel (Chief, Cleaner and Sustainable Production Unit, UNIDO)and Mr Arab Hobollah (Chief, Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch, UNEP) presented an overview of programme achievements and lessons learned. In taking stock of 15 years‘ programme experience, they argued that NCPCs have proven beyond doubt that Cleaner Production is beneficial for business, the environment and development at large. In moving forward they argued that it was necessary to scale-up and mainstream the activities and impacts of the NCPCs, for which UNIDO and UNEP have formulated their joint global Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) Programme. This foresees modular implementation in collaboration with NCPCs and other RECP service providers. In the context of CSD 18, they argued it was important to realise that RECP is a cross-cutting implementation mechanism.
Ms Jane Nyakag’o (Executive Director, Kenya National Cleaner Production Centre) reflected on the experience of the Kenya NCPC (KNCPC) which was launched in 2000 as a UNIDO project.
The Centre became an independent non-profit trust in 2006. Under the Clean Enterprise Programme some 250 small businesses from sectors as diverse as tea, floriculture, hotels and textile, received technical assistance and had enjoyed cummulative financial savings exceeding 10 million USD annually. She expanded briefly on the case of Chandria industries, a local tissue paper producer, that reduced energy use by 25%, halved water use, and achieved 60% reduction of effluent and solid waste. The KNCPC is now the lead partner for an international project supporting SMEs in the Lake Victoria Bassin to implement CP measures.
Dr Tan Van Nhan (Director, Viet Nam National Cleaner Production Centre) provided an overview of the Viet Nam NCPC which was initiated in 1998. It has since become a company, part owned by Hanoi University of Technology and by its current employees. The annual benefits reaped by the around 300 companies assisted by the Viet Nam NCPC include cost savings of 9.7 million USD, energy savings of 63,000 MWhr electricity and 43,000 ton coal and water savings of 8 million m3, for a total investment of approximately 4.8 million USD. The Viet Nam NCPC has also pioneered new service areas, including the launch of a green credit line and sustainable product development projects.
Prof Cleophas Migiro (President, African Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production and Director, Cleaner Production Centre of Tanzania) provided an African regional perspective. He presented an account on how the 12 NCPCs in Africa had contributed to international commitments in regard to SCP. These inlcuded: development of the African 10 Year Framework of Programmes for SCP; enabling investments in CP and eco-efficiency; and development of national policies and strategies. The NCPCs also provided the launch-pad for the establishment and institutionalisation of the African Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (ARSCP). ARSCP fosters information and knowledge sharing and advocacy, inter alea through its biennal roundtable conferences.
Panel Discussion
The panellists debated barriers that impeded the widespread replication and scaling up of „win-win“ CP solutions. These included, in particular: lack of information, technology and finance in manners appropriate to the needs of SMEs and the limited professional and institutional capacities to apply these; weak incentives, including as a result of low and/or subsidized prices for energy, water and other resources, and weak implementation and enforcement of industrial and environmental policies and regulations.
Participants in the session confirmed the value of the NCPCs from host country perspectives, for example, in Sri Lanka.
In summing up, the moderator, Mr George Assaf (UNIDO Representative to the United Nations) concluded that RECP provides a practical way for cross- thematic implementation which NCPCs have demonstrated to make good business, environment and development sense.