ITU's 160 anniversary

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Colombia study tour - International e-waste exchange, 6-10 October 2025, Bogotá, Colombia

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The study tour to Colombia took place from 6 to 10 October 2025, in Bogotá. Held within the context of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-Government of Colombia project, International Exchange Initiative on Regulating E-waste and Engaging Tech Producers​, the week-long event gathered 52 participants from 34 entities

During the study tour, technical representatives had the opportunity to discuss with e-waste subject matter experts from ITU, other UN and multilateral organizations, and public and private actors about engaging tech producers in e-waste policymaking process and the impact of the extended producer responsibility principle in tackling the e-waste challenge. Under the project, ITU and the Government of Colombia provide a platform for best practices and lesson-sharing for participating ITU Member States to grow their knowledge and to increase their experience in developing and implementing e-waste regulations. 

The study tour's programme included three days of technical knowledge exchange, two site visits, and an official high-level launch event of the project. The participation and active engagement from Colombia’s Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, Computadores para Educar, and Asociación Nacional de Empresarios contributed to the success of the study tour.​


Event highlights

 
​​Technical knowle​dge exchange (6–8 October 2025)
    • F​ocused on interactive panels, presentations and hands-on activities, the first three days of the study tour offered space for technical knowledge exchange.​

 

      • Legal framework and governance, roll-out, capacity-building and enforcement, and monitoring a​nd continuous improvement were the leading themes of the technical knowledge exchange.
      • Over the course of three days, participants mapped out challenges to e-waste management and discussed about their country lessons learned to address these challenges.


​Site visits (9 October 2025)
    • ​Participants visited the National Centre for the Utilization of Electronic Waste (CENARE), a public facility for awareness raising and capacity-building on e-waste reuse and refurbishment. Exchanges with the facility staff and a hands-on dismantling session offered space for fruitful discussion and consolidation of technical knowledge exchanged in the previous days. ​

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    • A second visit was organized to a private facility,  PCShek, where participants witnessed e-waste management activities. The visi​​t to PCShek was proposed and organized by the Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible​.

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​Project launch (10 October 2025)
    • ​A high-level project launch event was organized by the Government of Colombia on 10 October to formally launch the joint collaboration with ITU in promoting a circular economy for electronics.