Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, spoke at the Special Session of Zero Waste at the UN General Assembly, which she attended as the special guest of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General. Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, the first wife of the Turkish President to speak at the UN General Assembly, stated that the earth is connected to each other by deep ties in a balance and measure, and emphasized that humans are a part of this mosaic and that the earth, which hosts millions of living species, and its functioning should be respected.
Reminding that the global commitment document they signed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is an important step towards institutionalizing the Zero Waste practice, Mrs. Erdoğan continued her words as follows: “As a Zero Waste volunteer, I am very proud and happy that this movement we started in our country has reached a level that will serve as a model for the world and has turned into a strong policy under the roof of the UN. This success is achieved by responsible people who develop policies on a macro scale, reduce their waste and recycle the waste in their homes as much as sensitive policy makers”.
To listen to the speeches of Emine Erdoğan, UN Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif, UN General Assembly Vice President Aksoltan Ataeva, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's wife Tamara Vucic, Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Mistress Gafarova, former President of Uzbekistan Islam Kerimov’s daughter Lola Kerimova, Trinidad and Tobago Foreign Minister Amery Brown and Libyan Environment Minister İbrahim Alaraby Münier were also present in the hall to listen to Mrs. Emine Erdogan's speeches privately.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres: I Appreciate Türkiye and Emine Erdoğan's Leadership
In the Zero Waste Special Session in the General Assembly hall, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, "I would like to state that I respect and appreciate the leadership of the Turkish government and Emine Erdoğan on the issue of zero waste, which is of vital importance".
Guterres said, "Countries should be inspired by examples such as Turkey's Zero Waste Project led by Mrs. Emine Erdoğan at the national level. In this context, I am pleased to announce that I will establish an Advisory Board of distinguished people in the field of zero waste. I would also like to thank Mrs. Emine Erdoğan for agreeing to chair this Board."
