Ted RegenciaTürkiye is ready to share its experience in pushing for zero-waste, first lady Emine Erdogan said, as she highlighted the country's global leadership on an environmental initiative she helped launch.
In an address before a gathering of international advocates for zero-waste on Friday, the first lady said Türkiye is ready "to put forth whatever it takes to turn zero waste into a global movement."
The zero-waste project was launched by Erdogan in 2017 with the aim of highlighting the importance of zero waste in fighting the climate crisis.
"The seed we planted with hope in these lands five years ago turned into a big plane tree whose shadow today reaches the farthest countries.
"This success primarily belongs to our people, who adopted zero waste as a philosophy of life and enrich it with their voluntary contributions," Erdogan said.
The project has received international praise, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing his gratitude to Türkiye’s first lady during a conference in New York in September.
On December 14 the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on a zero waste initiative presented by Türkiye declaring March 30 International Day of Zero Waste.
"The declaration of good will, with the number of signatories growing every day, was an important step towards institutionalizing the global interest and support for our zero-waste project," said the president's wife.
Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish government has signed major climate agreements and led efforts to diversify energy sources while investing in cleaner sources of energy to reduce the country's carbon footprint.
