ITU is very active in tackling the challenges of e-waste at the global, regional and national level, working on key aspects that will make the circular economy work for electronics and e-waste – data collection, policy improvement, regulatory development, standards and partnership building.
Specifically, ITU is undertaking these activities:
- ITU plays a key role in the UN E-waste Coalition, is a founding partner of the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership and collaborates with the Circular Electronics Partnership>.
- ITU is developing guidelines for achieving the e-waste targets established by the Connect 2030 Agenda.
- ITU opened the Generation Connect Global E-waste Iconathon which raised awareness and leveraged participation of youth globally.
- ITU thinking contributes to global debate on solutions to the challenge: The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 secured coverage in major news outlets and the thought paper Internet Waste was released as part of International E-waste Day 2020.
- ITU promotes harmonization of national e-waste policies, regulation and standards in the Arab region – The Regional E-waste Monitor for Arab Statesaddressed 22 Arab States.
- ITU also supported the preparation of Regional E-waste Monitors for Latin America, for the Commonwealth of Independent States plus Georgia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine, and for the Western Balkans.
- As part of the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership, ITU and partners undertook capacity-building to improve e-waste statistics in the CIS region, the Arab States, East Africa, Southern Africa and Latin America.
- National E-waste Monitors are being prepared in Malawi, Namibia and Botswana while in East Africa, ITU is working with the East African Communications Organisation to develop harmonized household and business surveys covering e-waste.
- The >Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on e-waste management developed with the Basel Convention Secretariat and WHO launched in 2019.
- A policy awareness workshop on e-waste held in Hyderabad, India, in 2019 helped create inter-ministerial and departmental linkages for collaboration on e-waste.
- Policy Practices for E-Waste Management, published with the World Economic Forum, addresses extended producer responsibility for e-waste management – with focus on African countries.
- This webinar focused on Asia Pacific: E-waste in Asia Pacific: One Step Towards the Circular Economy.
- Introduction to E-waste Policy is an e-learning deliverable providing technical help to Burundi, Namibia, Malawi and Dominican Republic, including the preparation of national e-waste policy and regulation.
- Digital Solutions for a Circular Electronics Value Chain, published with the WEEE Forum, GSMA and Sofies Group, explores how digital technologies can enable circularity in the lifecycle of electronic devices.