On 26 September 2023, EU4Environment organized a seminar for Azerbaijani specialists working in environmental management, energy efficiency, engineering (chemical, industrial, environment, or related) and/or in manufacturing companies in Azerbaijan, as well as representatives from the Government and the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA), members of academia, and industry professionals.
The one-day event on institutionalising Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) aimed to promote a green and circular economy through the application of the RECP methodology in Azerbaijan. Concretely, it helped participants know how to develop practical in-plant assessments for RECP (using self-assessment and external auditing by experts as a basis for new projects in the future). Some of the key elements of the UNIDO RECP training programme included:
- The RECP concept
- How to assess the efficiency of production processes and identify opportunity areas
- Good RECP practices in energy efficiency, water, and material management
- RECP project development
- Business planning and RECP financing
- Review of compulsory energy audits (to be implemented in Azerbaijan)
The seminar covered UNIDO’s approach to reducing the environmental impact of industries through measures that improve both economic and environmental aspects in enterprises. As a result, participants were able to understand the principles of the RECP methodology and its benefits for manufacturing enterprises in view of the upcoming changes in the local legislation that aim to reflect the dynamic agenda on global sustainability.
Hence, the main purpose of the seminar was to explore the potential support to further institutionalise and supply RECP services for SMEs in Azerbaijan through key stakeholders such as the SMBDA. This involved the use of the UNIDO RECP methodology, following the success of the UNIDO RECP Demonstration Project for SMEs under the EU-funded, EU4Environment programme. The initiative also corresponds to paragraph 1.1.3 of the “Socio-economic development strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2022 – 2026” approved by the presidential decree No. 3378, dated July 22, 2022, to support the expansion and promotion of educational opportunities for SMEs.
For more information, please contact Ms. Tatiana Chernyavskaya, UNIDO Project Manager: T.CHERNYAVSKAYA@unido.org.
Agenda (English | Azerbaijani)