The UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre was established in 1992 to promote the application of environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) in developing countries. It now focuses on “holistic waste management”, addressing all forms of waste including solid, liquid and gaseous forms. In order to maximise the value of this international organisation situated in Osaka, Japan, and to enhance the contribution to environmental challenges using Japanese technologies, UNEP and IGES agreed in December 2014 to establish a collaborating centre (IGES Centre Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental Technologies, CCET), following a recommendation from an expert committee of the Ministry of the Environment. This session celebrates the inauguration of CCET, introduces the activities of UNEP in the field of waste management, gives an overview of the needs for waste management technologies in Asian and Pacific countries, and discusses ways to respond to these needs.