12th Regional 3R & Circular Economy Forum in Jaipur

Jaipur, Feb 27 (PTI) More than 500 international and domestic participants are expected to attend the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific to be organised here at the Rajasthan International Centre from March 3-5.

The event will focus on the theme of 'Realizing Circular Societies Towards Achieving SDGs and Carbon Neutrality in Asia-Pacific'. It will bring together global leaders and international experts to drive discussions on advancing circular economy practices, an official release said.

Launched by UNCRD in 2009, the Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum aims to provide strategic policy inputs to government authorities in the Asia-Pacific region for mainstreaming 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) and circularity and serve as a platform for disseminating and sharing best practices in 3R. The last Forum was hosted by Cambodia in 2023. India has previously hosted the Forum in 2018, when the 8th edition was held in Indore.

While addressing reporters here, Tokhan Sahu, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, said that an important takeaway of the 12th Regional Forum will be the 'Jaipur Declaration', which will be adopted on the closing day.

The decadal declaration, for the period of 2025-34, will aim to provide participating countries with a framework for developing 3R and circular economy policies and programs. This will enable a shift from a linear 'take-make-dispose' economy to a circular economy. The Jaipur Declaration builds upon the Hanoi Declaration (2013-23) and is a voluntary and legally non-binding agreement.

Sahu also informed that another feature of the 12th Forum is the 'India Pavilion', which will showcase India's remarkable initiatives and achievements in the 3R and circular economy domain. This Pavilion will feature exhibitions from 15 key line ministries and national missions, reflecting India's whole-of-government approach to sustainable development.

The 12th Regional Forum is being spearheaded by the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in collaboration with Japan's Ministry of the Environment, UN ESCAP, UNCRD, UNDSDG, and UNDESA, with support from the Government of Rajasthan. More than 500 international and domestic participants are expected to attend the three-day conference in the capital city.

Jhabhar Singh Kharra, State Minister (Independent Charge) of Urban Development and Local Self Government, Rajasthan informed that his department has been actively supporting the preparations of Forum. The Department will also engage in various sessions during the 3-day conference.

He also informed that 11 case studies from Jaipur are also a part of a compendium of 100 best practices booklet on 3R & Circular Economy. This booklet will be released during the Forum.