Emine Erdoğan hosted United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General Guy Bernard Ryder.

09 Jul 2023

Emine Erdoğan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, met with Guy Bernard Ryder, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Policy, at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul as part of the "31st October World Cities Day" program.

"Zero Waste Foundation is an important tool for global cooperation"
In the meeting, Ryder conveyed the greetings of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and thanked Emine Erdoğan for her initiatives in the zero waste field. Ryder emphasized that the Zero Waste Foundation holds great significance under the UN framework and stressed the importance of creating a zero waste economy, spreading good examples, and providing technical support to make the next three years productive.

"UN Zero Waste Advisory Board should meet twice a year"
Ryder expressed that the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board should meet twice a year, suggesting that one of the meetings be held every September in New York, while the other could take place in a city chosen by Emine Erdoğan. In response, Emine Erdoğan mentioned that she would like to host the board members in Turkey.

Strong support for Palestine emphasized
Emine Erdoğan expressed her satisfaction with UN Secretary-General Guterres' strong stance on the Palestine issue and conveyed her and President Erdoğan's greetings and gratitude.

"Zero Waste Project has become a global movement"
During the meeting, Emine Erdoğan talked about the activities of the Zero Waste Foundation, which was established to further strengthen the Zero Waste Project under the UN framework. Ryder expressed his belief that this foundation would work effectively in cooperation with the UN.