[Title] COP29 Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste

We, national governments;

Recognising that by reducing methane emissions in all relevant sectors, principally in fossil energy, agricultural and waste sectors by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030, the world has the potential to avoid projected global warming by at least 0.2°C by 2050 as outlined in the Global Methane Assessment, making it an important action to keeping the global average temperatures within the 1.5°C threshold;

Further recognising that such reductions could generate important health, nature, livelihood, and economic benefits, preventing an estimated 255,000 premature deaths annually, 775,000 asthma-related hospitalisations, 73 billion hours of lost labour due to extreme heat, and significant crop losses in the agricultural sector while protecting biodiversity by reducing ground-level ozone pollution and impacts from rising temperatures;

Noting that methane in the waste sector is the rapidly growing source of anthropogenic methane emissions, resulting primarily from the decomposition of organic waste in landfills, open dumps, and wastewater, and contributing almost 20% of anthropogenic methane emissions;

Acknowledging food waste and food loss is a significant global issue affecting countries worldwide, with substantial environmental, economic, and social impact. Noting that the UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 estimated that 8-10% of total global emissions relate to food loss and waste alone;

Noting that poor waste management and the effects of open dumps or illegal landfills adversely impact social and environmental justice efforts;

Emphasising the importance of cooperation at local, regional, and global levels to tackle waste management challenges, including those related to shipment of waste and ocean pollution;

Recalling the findings of recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments that to be consistent with IPCC 1.5C scenarios, globally methane emissions from the waste sector must drop by 30-35% below 2020 levels by 2030 and nearly 55% by 2050,

Noting that the outcome of the first global stocktake (GST) under the Paris Agreement recognised the need to substantially accelerate the reduction of methane emissions by 2030;

Underscoring that addressing and reversing the current surge of waste generation necessitates action on waste prevention, circular economy and zero waste practices adhering to the waste hierarchy, including composting of organic waste or other treatment of organic waste;

Noting that these actions come with important economic opportunities as well as opportunities to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss;

Recalling that today, about 25% of the total land area across the globe is degraded, directly impacting 3.2 billion people, especially small-scale farmers and rural communities, and affecting millions more through food insecurity, higher food prices, climate change, environmental hazards, and the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, making solutions to rebuild soil an issue of urgency;

Recalling the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and noting outcomes of the UN Food Systems Summit, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Pact of the Future;

Recognising that strategies to prevent, reduce and reuse organic waste, whether by making use of it as a resource material, composting it to enrich soils as fertilizer, or using it to produce bioenergy offer numerous economic and environmental benefits. These strategies serve as climate solutions while also contributing to enhancing food security and energy access, promoting the bioeconomy, avoiding open burning and related air pollution, creating local jobs, improving living standards and reducing costs for cities while contributing to more sustainable urban development;

Emphasising that solutions to harness the above potential are available and affordable and that partnerships, policies and finance can help their uptake;

Stressing the importance of developing and strengthening public-private partnerships as a progressive effort towards sustainable waste management;

We declare our intent to work collaboratively and expeditiously to increase the pace and scale of action in pursuit of the following objectives:

- Prioritise and accelerate solutions that focus on avoidance, diversion, valorisation and infrastructure (ADVI) in the waste sector;

- Maximise climate, environment, circularity and food and nutrition security benefits;

- Promote organic waste management and tackle food loss and waste aiming to close cycles, rebuild soils, enhance urban and rural food systems and strengthen the bioeconomy;

- Effectively integrate circular economy and waste measures in climate policies, including in the design of NDCs and implementation plans;

- Strengthen collaboration across key stakeholders, including internationally, regionally, across levels of government, and by engaging local stakeholders such as farmers, waste pickers and bioenergy suppliers in diverting and productively utilising organic waste;

- Respond to the need to substantially scale up financial flows towards initiatives and projects that address methane emissions from the waste sector including solutions that avoid organic waste, enhance collection, separation and transportation systems, technology transfer and infrastructure development as well as the need for enhanced funding from other promising but underinvested solutions;

- Assist developing countries in improving their existing waste management infrastructure and strengthening their capacity to develop such technologies in alignment with circular economy and resource efficiency practices;

- Enhance capacity building and promote public awareness campaigns to educate and engage the public on the importance of sustainable waste management and methane reduction.

To achieve these aims, we intend to pursue efforts within our respective mandates, in a nationally determined manner, in partnership with international, regional, national and local actors to expedite the integration of organic waste management into our climate action and, simultaneously, to mainstream climate action across our policy agendas and actions related to waste management.

In seeking to fulfil these aims by 2030, we intend to strengthen our respective and shared efforts in five key enabling areas for a waste sector transformation, and we encourage commitments and pledges with respect to:

1.5⁰C-consistent waste sector components informing the design of future NDCs

Setting specific quantified national targets and/or measurable actions, plans, roadmaps, and policies for reducing methane in waste and food systems in the design of future NDCs where appropriate and communicating these in the context of implementation plans; information for clarity, transparency and understanding; or other relevant documents.

National and sub-national policies and actions

Developing and implementing national and, where appropriate, subnational policies, roadmaps, and action plans in the waste sector, recognising that household waste management is a core function of cities, and considering the role of private sector waste management companies in this context.

Stepping up finance

All relevant actors stepping up finance, identifying bankable projects, supporting feasibility studies and business plans to scale up subnational action while also mobilising financial resources for the waste sector.

Data for action and transparency

Increasingly utilising observation-based techniques to understand where and how much methane is being emitted, to identify key opportunities for mitigation and to support broader transparency efforts through data.

Striving to continuously improve the accuracy, transparency, consistency, comparability, and completeness of national greenhouse gas inventory reporting under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.

Innovative partnerships

Commitments, such as through the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) and the Lowering Organic Waste Methane (LOW Methane) initiative, to significantly reduce sources of emissions have catalysed cooperation and knowledge-exchange mechanisms. This includes South-South and triangular cooperation.

Also, promote climate actions in organic waste management through global partnerships and dialogue, considering the perspectives of indigenous peoples, local communities, women, children, youth, persons with disabilities, and people in vulnerable situations including informal waste pickers.

Via a Baku-to-Baku process, from COP29 to World Environment Day and the World Urban Forum to be held in Baku in 2026, and cooperation with Rio-Trio platform, we intend to revisit progress and keep the topic high on the agenda. From COP29 to World Environment Day and the World Urban Forum in Baku in 2026, we will use a 'Baku-to-Baku' approach, regularly reviewing progress and keeping this issue high on the global agenda. For coordination and support, the effort will rely on the existing GMP Secretariat capacity within the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air and Climate Coalition and other GMP implementers within UNEP, and other UN agencies.

States which endorsed "COP29 Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste"