INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTE ASSOCIATION - Denkstatt

President’s Message
Fortunately, in the year we are celebrating our 40th
anniversary, we can assure that a new era has started
in ISWA. Its birth date was the day we celebrated our
anniversary and opened our new offices in Vienna.
That same day the transition process was concluded. From
our comfortable and centrally located offices, a competent
team, conducted by our Managing Director, now covers
all the technical and administrative tasks to provide the
appropriate support to all our members, working groups
and the implementation of our 2010-2013 Multi Annual
Plan.
We wish to express our gratitude to all those people who
made possible reaching the end of the process successfully,
and we have to renew our gratitude to the City of Vienna
for the decision of being our host and to the members of
ISWA Austria for their effort, determination and patience
to achieve this.
Solid waste is a global issue but solutions are local. We
must be leaders in the society transformation process
to respond to the two main challenges of this time: the
reduction of carbon concentration in the atmosphere and
the creation of a circular economy aiming at an efficient
use of resources and non-generation of waste. What have
we done in 2010 to respond to such demanding strategic
objectives? Let me just point out a few highlights:
• The creation of the European Union subgroup within
the ISWA Board and its first meeting with representatives
of the Environment Commissioner of the EU,
to set a common agenda.
• The creation of the Training, Advisory and Promotion
(TAP Center), a key piece to guarantee proper
development of sound solid waste management
practices in the Asia Pacific region.
• Joint work with Environment Protection Agency of
the United States (US EPA) and the Methane to
Markets initiative in the organization of training
courses.
• The organization of three Beacon Conferences.
Conclusively I would like to express special gratitude
to the members of ISWA Board of Directors for their
permanent support and for their predisposition to sort
differences when they arose and for sharing this passion
for ISWA. I would also like to express my deep trust in the
capacity of our Managing Director and all his collaborators,
each of them with his/her clear responsibilities to successfully
undertake our work plan. Lastly, I would like to express
my respect to all National Members since they are the
source of ISWA “raison d’être” and they are the ones
indicated by our Statutes and Internal Regulations so that
through their active participation, daily and permanent
actions the vision and mission may be promoted.
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• Developed our knowledge base project, where we
will gather all our experience and information.
• Strengthened our Scientific Technical Committee, by
coordinating the work programs of the Working
Groups with the support of the General Secretariat,
intensifying our relationship with Academia, through
the invaluable help of the Editor-in-Chief, Associate
Editors and Editorial Board of our qualified emblem:
The Waste Management and Research Journal.
• The publication of the White Paper Waste and
Climate Change and its distribution, among other
addressees, to the delegates of the member countries
of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC).
• The joint work with Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Economic
Commission Latin American Countries (ECLAC) in
waste management issues and climate change.
• The creation of the Working Group on Climate Change.
Best regards
Dr. Atilio Savino