President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became a zero waste volunteer by signing the "Global Zero Waste Declaration of Goodwill", which was opened for signature to ensure individual participation across the world in the Global Zero Waste Movement under the leadership of First Lady Emine Erdoğan. President Erdoğan: "By signing the Zero Waste Declaration of Goodwill, we have demonstrated our stance for a cleaner, greener and habitable world. We will continue our multifaceted efforts to combat the crises of climate change and environmental pollution. As Türkiye, we seek to fulfil our duties to future generations."
On the sidelines of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed the Global Zero Waste Declaration of Goodwill, spearheaded by the First Lady Emine Erdoğan.
A signing ceremony was held at the Turkevi under the leadership of First Lady Emine Erdoğan as part of the "Path To Global Zero Waste Movement" event.
President Erdoğan became a zero waste volunteer as the first person to sign the "Global Zero Waste Declaration of Goodwill", which was opened for signature on the website to ensure individual participation in the Global Zero Waste Movement spearheaded by the First Lady Emine Erdoğan.
President Erdoğan signed the Declaration of Goodwill online today, which was opened for global signature for the first time through the website "https://zerowastecommitment.com". President Erdoğan also signed the billboard with the First Lady Emine Erdoğan.
In his statement on the Declaration of Goodwill, President Erdoğan stated that they signed an important declaration on behalf of the future of humanity and said, "By signing the Zero Waste Declaration of Goodwill we have demonstrated our stance for a cleaner, greener and habitable world."
President Erdoğan emphasised that the Zero Waste Movement, which was launched in 2017 under the auspices of First Lady Emine Erdoğan, has become a global brand. President Erdoğan also remarked that they were pleased that the International Day of Zero Waste, which was presented by Türkiye and 105 other nations, was declared on March 30. President Erdoğan noted:
"We will continue our multifaceted efforts to combat the crises of climate change and environmental pollution. As Türkiye, we seek to fulfil our duties to future generations. Our goal is to reach Net Zero Emissions by 2053. Inshallah, we will accomplish this as we have our other goals. From here, I call on everyone to take action, particularly the countries that bear the greater historical responsibility for global warming. I hope that our Global Zero Waste Declaration of Goodwill will be auspicious. I offer heartfelt congratulations to those who have contributed to reaching this stage.”
Emine Erdoğan: "Zero Waste has grown into a global movement"
In her speech at the signing ceremony, First Lady Erdoğan emphasised that the project, launched in Türkiye in 2017, has grown into a global movement today.
First Lady Emine Erdoğan stated that President Erdoğan's leadership is the most important factor in the success of the Zero Waste Movement and its evolution to its current level. She further stated that, as the leader of Türkiye's green development initiative, President Erdoğan has consistently provided the Zero Waste Movement with the necessary support.
Emine Erdoğan went on to say:
"Today, we witnessed our President's unwavering support as he became the first to sign the Zero Waste Declaration of Goodwill, which was signed with UN Secretary-General Guterres last year and is now made available for global signature. We extend our sincere gratitude to him on behalf of all Zero Waste and environmental volunteers. I hope that the movement will be auspicious for the World, Our Common Home.”
Declaration of Goodwill
The Declaration of Goodwill is as follows:
"Recognising the need to promote the efficient use of finite resources, reduce and eliminate waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse, among others, in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, acknowledging the strong link between sustainable waste management, resource efficiency and climate change, we commit ourselves to implement sustainable waste management practices.
We pledge to promote the zero waste approach worldwide and share best practices for its wider recognition and application.
Moreover, we pledge to support initiatives, campaigns, programs, projects and activities that promote zero waste in order to encourage a responsible waste production and consumption.
We commit to sharing the best practices and lessons learned from projects such as Zero Waste Project of Türkiye, encouraging the development of similar policies on waste management.
We call for UN Member States, UN System entities, and members of the civil society, private sector, media, as well as local authorities to align strategies, approaches and programmatic responses to help accelerate a global transition to circular economy and reduce the adverse impact of waste on climate change.”
The Declaration of Goodwill, which has been made available for signatures today, is of utmost importance in terms of securing individual support for this crucial global effort.