Enhancing Countries' Capacities for Measuring Progress on the transition towards a Circular Economy
What is the project about?
UNEP, with funding from the European Commission, is implementing a project to enhance countries' capacities for measuring progress on the transition towards a circular economy. The project initiated in January 2024, with a planned implementation period of three years.
This project aims to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy in the context of sustainable development by focusing on three areas: (i) development or enhancing methodologies at the global level, (ii) regional capacity building and dialogue between data users and producers, and (iii) enhancing national statistical capacities. The project also encourages internal capacity building within countries, emphasizing knowledge sharing to ensure sustainability. The ultimate goal is to inform evidence-based policies by regularly producing circular economy and waste datasets.
The deliverables of this project contain guidelines for measuring circular economy, regional workshops, national capacity building activities, and the development of methodology and guidelines for one selected waste stream, including pilot testing, dissemination and uptake.
A summary of the project and its activities can be found here.
Tools and training to build capacity of countries to measure, monitor and report on the SDG circular economy-related indicators
- Guidelines for measuring circular economy will be developed based on the adopted core set of indicators.
- Regional workshops are planned for Africa, Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean. They will focus on advancing the use of circular economy indicators in policymaking and supporting the participation among national SDG 12 indicators focal points to the Networks of government experts.
- National capacity building activities will take place in six project beneficiary countries (two in each region) to enhance the collection and dissemination of relevant SDG indicators.
National Training on Circular Economy Indicators
The main objectives of the trainings are to empower officials with knowledge and know-how to collect information and develop SDG indicators on sustainable consumption and production, waste, food waste and loss and water; strengthen inter-institutional coordination to invigorate production of SDG indicators and data flows through hosting data producers and users together; and share and discuss country challenges in measuring specific indicators. Activities in each project beneficiary country, including concept note and training report, are presented below:
- Jamaica National Training on Circular Economy Indicators, Kingston, Jamaica, 7-14 July 2025
- Thailand National Training on Circular Economy Indicators, Bangkok, Thailand, 20-30 May 2025
- Nepal National Training on Circular Economy Indicators, Kathmandu, Nepal, 13-19 May 2025
- Benin National Training on Circular Economy Indicators, Cotonou, Benin, 24 March - 04 April 2025
- Kenya National Training on Circular Economy Indicators, Nairobi, Kenya, 10-21 March 2025
- Colombia National Training on Circular Economy Indicators, Bogota, Colombia, 10-21 February 2025
Environmental SDG Indicators Online Course
As part of the Identification and methodology development for one selected waste stream
- Methodology and guidelines will be developed for one selected waste stream.
- Pilot testing of the methodology and guidelines will be conducted in at least 3 project countries.
- Dissemination and uptake of the methodology and guidelines will be achieved.
Pilot testing of the updated e-waste statistics: Workshop series on e-waste
The 2025 International Workshop Series on E-waste Statistics was implemented by UNEP in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programme. The objective is to support relevant authorities at the national level in developing the technical knowledge and capacities to regularly produce datasets on electronic waste (e-waste). Better data and statistics have a critical role to play in tackling the escalating challenges related to e-waste. This includes through helping to identify opportunities to turn waste into a resource, setting and monitoring progress against public sector targets, and evaluating best practices in policymaking. Activities in countries, including concept note and workshop report, are presented below:
- Kenya International Workshop Series on e-waste statistics, Nairobi, Kenya, 22-24 April 2025
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