UNIDO and UNEP incorporated the lessons learned from the NCPCs in their joint RECP programme strategy. The strategy was approved in 2009 for implementation. It supports the global imperative to decouple economic development from further environmental degradation and resource depletion. The Programme aims to improve resource productivity and environmental performance of businesses and other organizations in developing and transition countries. The envisioned principal outcome is the widespread adaptation and adoption of RECP methods, practices, technologies and policies. The past decade has demonstrated that these are applicable and relevant. The challenge is now to scale-up their application so that they become common practice rather than isolated initiatives in a few selected enterprises.
The RECP Programme is implemented through four main intervention modules. Each covers several key activities and outputs.
1. RECP Service Delivery Network: expanding, strengthening and further capacitating the network of NCPCs and other RECP service providers. This includes, intensive networking and knowledge management, expansion of RECP to new countries and supporting existing NCPCs to scale-up their activities and impacts;
2. Thematic RECP Applications: implementation of RECP in enterprises and other organizations and monitoring of results, in particular on resource efficiency, waste and emission prevention and safe and responsible production;
3. RECP Incentives: mainstreaming RECP into government policy and enterprise finance, to further incentivize enterprises and other organizations to implement RECP; and
4. RECP Innovation: strengthening and/or creating national innovation capacities to support the adaptation and adoption of Environmentally Sound Technologies and sustainable product developments that are appropriate in the national industry context.
These components are implemented in flexible combinations to ensure effective support at the national, regional and global levels and further develop of RECP methods, tools, policies and technologies. This is achieved through:
• Global programme activities: these are carried out at the global level and provide a framework for regional and national activities. This includes review and assessment, tools development, capacity building and knowledge management.
• Substantive projects: these cover the implementation of the intervention modules in the programme countries through either country-specific projects aimed at creating or building institutional capacities or through thematic projects on e.g. resource efficiency, chemicals management or low carbon industry, which may cover multiple countries.