Turkish First Lady Honored with AKDENIZ-PA Award for “Zero Waste” Project
Braga, The Gulf Observer: Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has been honored with the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (AKDENİZ-PA) award for the Zero Waste project, recognizing its contributions to peace and prosperity in the European-Mediterranean and Gulf regions. The award was accepted on behalf of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan by Mehmet Ozhaseki, Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, during a ceremony in Braga, Portugal, on May 15.
“I was happy to accept the AKDENİZ-PA award on behalf of all the friends of nature who have adopted the project, developed it with voluntary contributions, and carried it into the future,” First Lady Erdogan said. She emphasized that it is a source of pride for Türkiye that the Zero Waste project was selected as the best project in the Green Transformation category among many nominated projects and deemed worthy of an international award.
“I see this award not only as a certificate of achievement but also as a sign of Türkiye’s deep commitment to environmental awareness and its decisive steps towards a sustainable future,” she added.
Launched in 2017 under the auspices of First Lady Emine Erdogan, the Zero Waste project has received numerous accolades. In 2018, it was awarded the “Zero Waste, Zero Hunger” award by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In 2021, the project received the “UNDP Sustainable Development Goals Award” from the United Nations Development Program and the “Waste Wise Cities Global Champion Award” from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). In 2022, it was honored with the “Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly Award (PAW Awards)” and the “Climate and Development Leadership Award” from the World Bank.
The “Türkiye Zero Waste” project, now a global brand, aims to make Türkiye a clean, developed, and sustainable country by reducing waste generation, promoting recycling, and protecting resources. It was nominated on behalf of Türkiye and deemed worthy of the award at the 16th General Assembly Meeting held in Dubai in 2022.
