LocationsItaly and Tunisia exchange technical insights on waste-to-energy during high-level meetings hosted at UNDP Rome Centre
February 10, 2026
Rome, 10 February 2026 – A high-level Tunisian delegation met today with representatives of the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and UNDP Rome Centre to exchange expertise on waste management, waste-to-energy (WTE) solutions and opportunities for future collaboration. The discussions marked the opening day of a technical mission to Italy facilitated by UNDP, aimed at supporting Tunisia’s efforts to strengthen its waste-to-energy sector and advance its national energy transition agenda.
The day opened with a mission briefing at UNDP Rome Centre, during which participants reviewed the mission agenda, discussed planned engagements, and explored possible areas of cooperation. The Tunisian delegation outlined current priorities linked to the waste-to-energy pilot project on the island of Djerba and its planned replication across additional sites. MASE presented ongoing areas of collaboration with Tunisia, while UNDP Rome Centre introduced plans to expand PISTA’s support in Tunisia to further enable project scale-up and bankability.
This was followed by a high-level technical meeting bringing together the Tunisian delegation, MASE departments, including the participation of Alessandro Guerri, Director General for European and International Affairs and Sustainable Finance and UNDP experts. The session focused on strategic and regulatory aspects of waste management and WTE. Tunisian representatives presented the rationale behind the mission, country needs in waste management, and opportunities for private-sector engagement in planned project expansions. Italian counterparts provided an overview of Italy’s circular economy strategy and the regulatory frameworks governing waste-to-energy, biomethane and relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7 and SDG 12).
In the afternoon, UNDP Rome Centre hosted a roundtable on private-sector engagement, gathering representatives from MASE, opened with remarks by UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo, on visit to Rome, Italian associations, private companies active in the waste and WTE sectors, institutions involved in international cooperation, and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. The roundtable offered a platform for Tunisian institutions to present policy priorities, tariff reforms and details of the Djerba pilot, as well as to discuss opportunities for collaboration with Italian industrial actors. Participating companies and associations shared best practices, technical expertise and potential avenues for cooperation in future WTE and biogas initiatives.
The exchanges throughout the day reaffirmed the shared commitment of Tunisian institutions, MASE and UNDP to strengthening cooperation in waste management and energy recovery processes, with a view to supporting Tunisia’s transition toward more sustainable and resilient energy systems.
