UNECE Resource Management Week 2018: Sustainability takes centre stage
How to align resource management to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with due consideration to socio-economic, environmental and technological aspects? Emphasis needs to be on reducing the carbon and environmental footprints of the resource sectors through technological interventions that are economically rational, but at the same time acceptable to society. Increasing efficiencies in production by moving towards a zero waste frontier and taking advantage of data and information to transform into an ecosystem service model is becoming essential.
Over 300 experts from Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America will meet in Geneva next week during the UNECE Resource Management Week 2018 (23–27 April) to discuss how energy and raw material resources could be managed in a manner to drive sustainable progress. The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC), which has become synonymous with sustainable resource management, bridges and haromonizes various sub-systems to make this happen consistently on a global scale.
The meetings during the Week will discuss developments to align UNFC to maximize its contribution to attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and on the use of innovative approaches to navigate the complex resource management landscape. Experts will discuss initiatives to apply UNFC to their local situations. The progress made by twenty EGRC task forces including on minerals, petroleum, solar energy, anthropogenic and other resources will be reviewed and discussed.
Special meetings and workshops on developing guidelines for social and environmental considerations, secondary resource recovery within the context of a circular economy, critical raw materials, nuclear fuel resources, and a lunchtime lecture on 25 April on “Diversity and inclusiveness in the oil and gas industry: Why it makes a difference?” will be the highlights of the week.
For more information, visit: http://unece.org/energy/se/reserves.html
Note to editors
UNFC is the global standard that bridges this gap between the needs of sustainable development and the activities that contribute to the production of raw materials and energy, the essential ingredients for prosperity and well-being for all. UNFC is the overarching system that brings together all the best practices from a myriad of related standards, guidelines and best practices that can help manage and develop resources in a balanced and responsible manner. It applies to solid minerals, petroleum, uranium and thorium, geothermal and bioenergy, anthropogenic resources and for injection projects for geological storage of CO2. Significant progress is being made to broaden UNFC’s application to other renewable energy, including solar, hydro, marine and wind energy.
The UNECE Expert Group on Resource Classification (EGRC), which oversees the development and promotion of UNFC, is an open platform for its development and for sharing knowledge and experience in sustainable resource management. The UNECE Resource Management Week 2018 will feature the ninth session of the EGRC with participation by experts involved with coal, minerals, petroleum, anthropogenic resources, renewable energies and injection projects. Government representatives from over 75 countries, as well as international organizations, professional societies and associations, industry, financial experts, academia and civil society, will attend the meetings.
