Emine Erdoğan, the spouse of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Chair of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, called for a global initiative for the Zero Waste Movement, stating, "We must prioritize not polluting rather than cleaning, and we should promote a lifestyle that does not produce waste worldwide." 

The first online meeting of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, chaired by Emine Erdoğan at the invitation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, included participation from Maimunah Mohd Sharif, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, who moderated the meeting, as well as contributions from Guy Bernard Ryder, the UN Deputy Secretary-General responsible for policy.

In her speech as the Chair of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, Emine Erdoğan emphasized that the members of the Board are united by their love and sensitivity towards nature. She expressed that through a collective effort, it is possible to repair the existing damage, and she shared that Turkey has experienced significant results through the "Zero Waste Project" with a consistent effort.

Emine Erdoğan stated, "Our recycling rate, which was 13% five years ago, quickly reached 27.2% and reached 30% in 2022. Our goal is to reach 65% by 2035. With these achievements, we have preserved land equivalent to the size of 2,000 football fields. We have saved an amount of water equal to the annual water needs of over 2 million families. We have also achieved energy savings equivalent to the annual energy needs of more than 200,000 families. At the same time, we have created new employment opportunities for thousands of our citizens. Although the progress we have made today is promising, we still have a long way to go, and we will walk this path together with you."

Emine Erdoğan reminded the members of the Board that the world is our common home and pointed out that the climate crisis does not recognize national borders. She emphasized that success cannot be achieved without a joint effort among the countries of the world, explaining that they have taken action to internationalize the "Zero Waste" initiative and share the experiences gained from the project.

Emine Erdoğan emphasized the aim of increasing global awareness regarding the "Zero Waste" initiative, recalling that the Global Zero Waste Goodwill Declaration, which marks the first step towards institutionalizing this goal, was opened for signature with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last September.

She noted that Turkey's resolution on "Zero Waste" submitted to the UN General Assembly was unanimously adopted, declaring March 30 as a day dedicated to the "Zero Waste" movement. She continued, stating, "We celebrated the first event with high-level participants from member countries in the UN General Assembly Hall with great enthusiasm. Next year, we should see March 30 as a valuable opportunity to promote the 'Zero Waste' movement worldwide. I find it beneficial to start working with all stakeholders to implement this decision in the best way possible. Another outcome of this decision is the establishment of the Zero Waste High-Level Personalities Advisory Board, which is why we are gathered here today. We aim to increase global awareness by promoting best practices and success stories regarding zero waste in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme and UN-Habitat."

She proposed the creation of "Global Zero Waste Awards" under the auspices of the Board, believing that the presentation of these awards would create a suitable atmosphere on March 30.

Emine Erdoğan added, "We should also consider declaring a 'Zero Waste Year' to strengthen the excitement of March 30. While we promote practices, we should also strengthen the supportive international and local legal frameworks. It is crucial for the decisions regarding 'Zero Waste' taken within the United Nations to be implemented in member countries. We must especially work on developing new laws that align with the systems of member countries. However, we must not forget that the real success of the 'Global Zero Waste Movement' depends on the adoption of the initiative at the individual level. We should focus on not polluting rather than cleaning, and we need to promote a lifestyle that produces no waste worldwide. In this regard, local and regional institutions and organizations play a vital role. We should strengthen our cooperation with regional organizations such as the European Union, Turkish Council, and African Union, in addition to the United Nations and its affiliated organizations. This world already has enough resources to sustain 1.5 times its population. All we need is to change, be fair, and know how to share."

Emine Erdoğan announced that the first official meeting of the Zero Waste Advisory Board will take place in Istanbul. She informed that the World Cities Day event organized by UN-Habitat will be hosted by Üsküdar Municipality in Istanbul on October 31, and the Advisory Board's inaugural meeting will also be held in the city. Emine Erdoğan noted that preparations for the meeting have begun and invited the Board members to Istanbul.

During the meeting, moderated by UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif, participants included Guy Bernard Ryder, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy at the UN; Melissa Santokhi-Seenacherry, wife of the President of Suriname; Fatima Maada Bio, wife of the President of Sierra Leone; José Manuel Moller, CEO of Algramo; Muhammad Yunus, co-founder and Chairman of Yunus Environment Hub; Carlos Silva Filho, President of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA); Laura Reyes, Executive Director of CEMPRE; Lara van Druten, CEO of The Waste Transformers; academic Saleem Ali; Hakima El Haite, founder of EauGlobe; Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability; and Vijay Jagannathan, Secretary General of CityNet Asia Pacific.

During the meeting, participants shared their experiences and discussed the importance of zero waste and recycling. The Board members expressed their gratitude to Emine Erdoğan.

This follows Emine Erdoğan's participation as a special guest at the UN General Assembly last September, where March 30 was declared International Zero Waste Day. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had extended an invitation to Emine Erdoğan to chair the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, which she accepted.