Saduman Turkay, Ferhat Yasak and Serdar Dincel
18 October 2025•Update: 18 October 2025
ISTANBUL
Türkiye's first lady Emine Erdogan said that the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are the ideals of a world where no one is left behind and that the key to achieving this lies in all countries taking responsibility.
Her remarks came at the ministerial session of the Global Zero Waste Forum, which was organized in Istanbul by the Zero Waste Foundation in collaboration with the Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and UN-Habitat under the theme “People, Places, Progress.”
Emphasizing her belief that this special session is a major opportunity to share the zero-waste vision, exchange ideas, and take collective steps for the future, Erdogan said Türkiye has undertaken diverse efforts under the coordination of the environment, urbanization, and climate change ministry.
Türkiye has created a strong culture of solidarity, from state institutions to local governments, from the private sector to civil society, she added, stressing that they have focused on awareness-raising activities.
She added that throughout this process, they have seen women’s extraordinary support and how important they can be in environmental matters.
In a post on Turkish social platform NSosyal regarding the ministerial session, Erdogan said, "Türkiye places utmost importance on strengthening international cooperation and setting shared goals to tackle climate and environmental issues."
She also expressed hope that "this gathering will serve as a platform for launching strategic partnerships based on fair burden-sharing, and I wish it to yield fruitful outcomes."
