UNSSC and the State of Victoria launch Australia’s largest training on the circular economy

The United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) has partnered with the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group (MWRRG) of the State of Victoria to offer a six-week online training on the Circular Economy and the 2030 Agenda.

The programme represents Australia’s largest Circular Economy capacity building initiative to date and brings together over 300 leaders from a wide range of councils, state governments, communities, and industries across Australia. Over six weeks, participants will engage with distinguished experts to analyse international best practices and case studies in order to enhance their understanding of a systems-based approach to circularity. They will use the platform offered by the course to forge cross-sector partnerships to champion sustainable practices in their workplaces and local communities.

Through the programme, the government of Victoria wants to accelerate its transition to a circular economy as it rolls out the ambitious Recycling Victoria policy which aims to create a state-wide recycling system including supporting the state’s councils as they transition to a four-bin household recycling system and delivering a new Container Deposit Scheme. The new initiative will reduce Victoria’s litter by up to half and divert up to 650,000 tons of organic waste away from landfills. This is part of the government of Victoria’s wider efforts to allocate AUD 515 million towards transformation of the waste and recycling sector, which will create around 4,000 new jobs.

In her inaugural address to course participants on 24 February 2022, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change for the State of Victoria, the Hon’ Lily D’Ambrosio said:

“We are excited to partner—in a global first—with the United Nations System Staff College to deliver this course to build our skills and capacity to transition to a circular economy. This course will help councils and the waste sector deliver the ambitious targets set out in Recycling Victoria: a new economy plan so we can reduce waste, boost jobs and tackle climate change.”