President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the Zero Waste Forum held in Istanbul is a historic gathering demonstrating Türkiye's rising role in environmental diplomacy, expressing that the organization, attended by participants from 183 countries, has transformed into a significant cooperation platform on a global scale.
Speaking at the AK Party Group Meeting held at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, President Erdoğan made evaluations regarding the Zero Waste Forum organized by the Zero Waste Foundation under the auspices of First Lady Emine Erdoğan.
Saying, "Last weekend, our Istanbul hosted a very historic international meeting in the field of environmental diplomacy," President Erdoğan emphasized that the Zero Waste Forum was held with the participation of over 120 ministers, more than 200 mayors, and over 5,000 participants from 183 countries.
Erdoğan used the expressions, "I hope 2026 will be a year when Türkiye's international reputation and visibility reach their peak. We will organize the 31st of the United Nations Climate Change Conferences in Antalya between November 9-20."
Strong Environmental Message Extending from Istanbul to the World
The Zero Waste Forum, held with the theme "Road to Antalya: Climate Action", brought government representatives, international organizations, local governments, academics, youth representatives, private sector leaders, and non-governmental organizations together around the same common goal.
In the sessions held for three days; priority topics of the global climate agenda such as the circular economy, resource efficiency, sustainable cities, climate finance, energy transition, zero waste zones, and just transition were addressed.
President Erdoğan's evaluations revealed that the Zero Waste Forum is not merely an event held in the environmental field but a strategic platform showing Türkiye's effectiveness in global environmental diplomacy.
The Zero Waste Movement Has Transformed into a Global Transformation Model
The Zero Waste Movement, initiated in 2017 under the pioneering of First Lady Emine Erdoğan, quickly crossed Türkiye's borders and transformed into a global environmental vision recognized by the United Nations.
Today, the zero waste approach is evaluated as a holistic transformation model in the fields of efficient use of resources, development of sustainable production and consumption models, strengthening of the circular economy, and combating climate change, moving beyond an understanding limited merely to waste reduction.
The Zero Waste Forum has also been an important turning point in terms of sharing this global vision at the international level, developing new collaborations, and increasing the implementation capacity of climate action.
Global Transformation is Targeted with New Cooperation Mechanisms
While the Global Zero Waste Zones Initiative, which aims to accelerate the zero waste transformation of cities, was shared with the public within the scope of the Forum, new cooperation mechanisms that will contribute to the COP31 process were also addressed.
Proposals developed with the contributions of local governments, international organizations, the private sector, academia, and civil society paved the way for the creation of new implementation models extending from the city scale to global climate policies.
The forum, organized by the Zero Waste Foundation, contributed to solutions that increase resource efficiency, reduce waste, and create more resilient living spaces finding a stronger place on the international agenda.
Will Provide Concrete Contributions to the COP31 Process
The common will emerging at the Zero Waste Forum, the solution proposals developed, and the international collaborations established will provide significant contributions to the COP31 process to be hosted by Türkiye.
The Zero Waste Foundation resolutely continues its efforts to take the global zero waste movement, growing with the vision of First Lady Emine Erdoğan, further, to strengthen collaborations in the field of environmental diplomacy, and to develop concrete solutions for a sustainable future.
