Emine Erdogan chairs UN Zero Waste Advisory Board meeting
Ankara, The Gulf Observer: Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has chaired the first meeting of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board.
Drawing attention to the fact that the planet’s self-repair time is getting longer, Erdogan said that removing waste outside a country’s borders does not eliminate the problem.
It is only possible to repair the system with joint effort, she said, adding that Ankara has done that with its Zero Waste Project. “Our recovery rate, which was 13% five years ago, reached 27.2% in a short time and 30% in 2022,” she said. “Our goal is to reach 65% by 2035.”
“With these gains, we have protected a land the size of 2,000 football fields. We have protected our water equivalent to the water needs of more than 2 million families for a year.
“We have provided energy savings equivalent to the energy needs of more than 200,000 families for a year. At the same time, we have offered new employment opportunities to thousands of our citizens,” she underlined.
Stating that the climate crisis does not recognise any borders, Erdogan said Ankara is willing to share its experiences with others.
Raising global awareness
She recalled that the Global Zero Waste Goodwill Declaration, which constitutes the first step toward the institutionalisation of the “Zero Waste” goal at the global level, was opened for signature with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in September last year.
Recalling that the resolution on Zero Waste submitted by Türkiye to the UN General Assembly was unanimously adopted, she said that due to the resolution, the date of March 30 is a day dedicated to the Zero Waste movement.
“As another result of the decision, the Zero Waste High-Level Personalities Advisory Board, which is the reason why we are meeting here today, has also been established,” she said.
“In cooperation with the UN Environment Programme and UN-Habitat, we aim to increase awareness at the global level by disseminating the best practices and success stories on zero waste.”
