Ministerial Side Event: Accelerating action to reduce methane emissions from waste and closing dumpsites in Latin America and the Caribbean

Session information

This session will highlight the urgent need for Latin America and the Caribbean to move from end-of-pipe waste management toward integrated and sustainable resource strategies that prioritize prevention, re-use, and safe disposal of organic solid waste. The region has a major opportunity to expand circular economy practices, reduce reliance on dumpsites—the largest single source of anthropogenic methane emissions—and generate employment in both technical and unskilled sectors. By strengthening waste systems, investing in infrastructure, and embedding environmental justice principles, countries can simultaneously advance public health, build resilient economies, and achieve methane reductions across municipal, agricultural, and industrial sectors. These efforts align with growing global momentum, including the Global Methane Pledge and the COP29 Declaration on Reducing Organic Waste, which together underscore the international recognition of waste methane as a climate priority.

In this context, Ministers will be presented with the Regional Cooperation Programme for the Reduction of Methane Emissions from Waste and the Closure of Dumpsites, developed under the Forum of Ministers of Environment for Latin America and the Caribbean with support from UNEP and the CCAC. 

The Programme promotes integrated solutions centered on avoidance, diversion, valorization, and infrastructure development, while improving disposal site operations and enabling progressive closure of dumpsites. It has been prepared within the framework of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, through the Voluntary Coalition of Governments and Relevant Organizations for the Progressive Closure of Dumpsites in Latin America and the Caribbean. The development of the Programme was facilitated by the UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office, with the technical support of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).

This session will raise awareness of the urgency and opportunities in tackling waste methane, showcase successful examples of leadership in the region, and provide a platform to explore collaboration among countries. Delegations will also be invited to identify concrete activities that enhance the Programme’s impact, strengthen alignment with related initiatives, and contribute to a more sustainable and cooperative regional waste agenda.

Programme details

Reducing methane emissions from organic waste and closing dumpsites in Latin America and the Caribbean

• Download the English version here.
• Download the Spanish version here. 

Forum of Ministers of Environment of LAC

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The XXIV Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will be held at the Sheraton Lima Historic Centre Hotel in Lima, Peru, from 29 September to 2 October 2025.

The High-Level Officers meeting will be held on 29 and 30 September, followed by the Ministerial Segment on 1-2 October. In this sense, High-Level Officers will participate from 29 September to 1 October, and Ministers will participate on 1 and 2 October.

For more information on the Forum of Ministers of Environment of LAC, visit this website.