The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
A breath of fresh air for San Luis
A new waste management plant will benefit some 20,000 people in the north-western region of Argentina.
Under a $2.7 million agreement with the United Nations Development Programme, UNOPS has completed the construction and equipping of a solid waste treatment facility. The plant, inaugurated earlier this year, will provide a range of waste-management services to the residents in the department of Ayacucho and benefit multiple villages in surrounding areas.
The Minister of Environment, Daiana Hissa, explains why they selected UNOPS for this work:
We have chosen UNOPS to develop this project because of its expertise in multiple areas, especially sustainable development. They have a team of professionals who always do excellent work. Working with UNOPS also helps you get competitive prices. We are happy that the plant is now fully operational. It is a state-of-the-art facility, which meets all our needs and we are very satisfied with the result.
The facility’s sustainable waste management processes include the: separation and classification of waste; collection and shipping of recyclable material; the packaging of classified material; and processing of organic waste in a modern landfill, which is operated under controlled environmental conditions.
After the plant opened the provincial and municipal authorities have been able to close an open air dump in the village of Quines.
Since the plant opened there is no smoke and odours but most importantly there is no contamination of water. The role of the provincial government was also key to developing this project.
One of the plant workers, Lorena Maidana, highlights additional benefits: “Waste management facilities create employment opportunities for people and helps generate money for the province because the materials that are recycled in the facility can be sold.”
UNOPS support to the Ministry of Environment of San Luis Province incorporated a range of customized services to complete the plant according to the necessary specifications. This included implementing sustainability standards such as carbon footprint criteria, contractor selections, supervision of the works and financial management of the entire process, until delivery.
All project activities fall under the UNOPS mandate as a central resource for the United Nations system in procurement and contract management as well as in civil and physical infrastructure works, including related capacity development activities.
UNOPS currently delivers over $86 million in active peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects on behalf of partners.
