July 15, 2026
The South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), in collaboration with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES- CCET), the Global Methane Hub (GMH), the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), and HELP-O, successfully commenced the Regional Kick-off and Capacity Building Workshop on "Accelerating Waste Methane Mitigation in South Asia for Climate, Health, and Development Co-Benefits" at the SACEP Headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 15–18 July 2026
The workshop was officially inaugurated by Ms. Padma Abeykoon, Additional Secretary (Environment Policy and Planning), Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka. The inaugural session featured welcome remarks by Mr. Norbu Wangchuk, Director General of SACEP, opening remarks by Ms. Carolina Urmeneta, Program Director of Waste and Circular Economy, Global Methane Hub (GMH)
The four-day regional workshop brings together highlevel government representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, along with technical experts and development partners, to strengthen regional cooperation on reducing methane emissions from the waste sector. Participants will contribute to the development of a Regional Assessment Report and Roadmap for Waste Methane Mitigation while enhancing national capacities on methane inventories, monitoring and reporting systems, climate finance, and sustainable waste management solutions.
It also provided an opportunity for SACEP and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) to officially exchange the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two organizations, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation and advancing collaborative initiatives on sustainable waste management, methane mitigation, and climate action across South Asia.
