First Lady Emine Erdoğan, wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said that the journey towards a waste-free world continues with the support of the United Nations and international partners.
This came in a post on the Turkish platform “InSocial” on Monday, in which she commented on her participation in the fourth official meeting of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, which was held last Saturday as part of the Zero Waste International Forum in Istanbul.
Emine Erdoğan said in her post: “As the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, we continue our journey with the strength we have gained from the goals we have achieved so far.”
She added: “We believe that every step that reduces the burden on the world begins with awareness, and here I extend my sincere thanks to all the board members who have contributed to this common cause.”
On Friday, the “Zero Waste International Forum” was launched in Istanbul, with the participation of dignitaries from 104 countries, 118 international organizations, mayors, ambassadors, and high-level UN representatives. It concluded yesterday, Sunday.
The Zero Waste International Forum was organized by the Zero Waste Foundation in cooperation with the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) under the theme “Zero Waste Movement: People, Place, Transformation.”
Turkey launched the Zero Waste Project in 2017 at the initiative of Turkish First Lady Emine Erdoğan to combat the impact of waste and refuse on the environment.
It also aims to change people’s consumption habits and manage waste through recycling and reuse after separating it at the source, with the goal of achieving a recycling rate of 60 percent by 2030.
In mid-December 2022, the United Nations approved the Zero Waste Project resolution submitted by Turkey as part of its sustainable development and climate change plans. With this resolution, March 30 was designated as World Zero Waste Day.
