UNEP TO COORDINATE PROJECT ON FINANCING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Press Release
UNEP/34
UNEP TO COORDINATE PROJECT ON FINANCING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
19980903 Norway Sponsoring Three-year Project in Guatemala, Nicaragua, United Republic of Tanzania, Viet Nam, ZimbabweOSLO/NAIROBI, 3 September (UNEP) -- Recognizing the importance of financing cleaner and safer production investments in developing countries working towards achieving sustainable development, the Government of Norway is supporting a three-year project in five countries: Guatemala, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been charged with coordinating the project, in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Chamber of Commerce.
At the launching of the project today in Oslo, Norway's State Secretary Leiv Lunde stated: "I am convinced that Norway's support to this project will highly contribute to pollution prevention, eco-efficiency, and resource productivity, which are necessary in all parts of the world. The UNEP, which launched the Cleaner Production Programme in 1989, as well as the International Banking Initiative, is particularly well placed to coordinate the project, and to disseminate the lessons and experience learned."
During the past 10 years, UNEP has developed the Cleaner Production Programme and built networks involving a wide range of stakeholders in Governments, industry and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Global progress is reviewed at high-level seminars held every two years -- from Canterbury in 1990 to the Republic of Korea in September 1998. A key achievement of the Programme is the establishment of UNIDO/UNEP National Cleaner Production Centres in a number of countries.
Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel, Director of UNEP's Industry Division, said, "there is today a greater awareness of the need for cleaner production investments. But barriers remain and in particular public and private bankers are not yet convinced of the economic benefits that cleaner production can bring". Ms. Aloisi de Larderel, who was representing Klaus Toepfer, UNEP
Executive Director, also stated there was clear evidence that returns on cleaner production investments are often extremely short.
The UNEP Industry and Environment Centre in Paris will coordinate implementation of project in the five countries, all with different degrees of industrialization and different environmental problems. Projects in these countries will demonstrate how the financing of cleaner production investments can be facilitated, both in existing industrial facilities as well as in new industrial establishments.
For more information, please contact: Mr. Uno Abrahamsen, Cleaner Production, UNEP IE, Paris, Tel: +33 (1) 44 37 14 22, Fax: +33 (1) 44 37 14 74, or Francoise Ruffe, Information Assistant, Tel: +33 (1) 44 37 14 37, e-mail: fruffe@unep.fr
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