Emine Erdoğan spoke at the opening of the Zero Waste Forum.

05.06.2026 19:00

Emine Erdoğan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stated that they see the Zero Waste Forum 2026 as a historic gathering where the human family unites around a common ideal, adding, 'I believe this strong international participation is a concrete manifestation of our President's message that "The world is bigger than five because humanity is bigger than five."'

The wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Emine Erdoğan, attended the opening of the Zero Waste Forum 2026, held under the auspices of the Istanbul Governorship and coordinated by the Zero Waste Foundation at Atatürk Airport.

REPRESENTATIVES FROM 183 COUNTRIES, OVER 500 INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS, AND MORE THAN 5,000 PARTICIPANTS

Speaking here, Erdoğan stated that Istanbul, carrying the common memory of humanity and where civilizations meet, is the world's longest-lasting capital, and noted that today the forum hosts representatives from 183 countries, over 500 institutions and organizations, and more than 5,000 participants.

Emine Erdoğan expressed that Istanbul once again brings cultures together, saying, "For this very reason, we see this forum as a historic gathering where the human family unites around a common ideal. I believe this strong international participation is a concrete manifestation of our President's message: 'The world is bigger than five, because humanity is bigger than five.'"

Expressing her gratitude to everyone participating in the forum, Erdoğan continued: "My hope is that the synergy rising from here will pave the way for brand-new beginnings for our shared future. I thank our Zero Waste Foundation for their great efforts in organizing this meaningful gathering. They are hosting one of the world's most comprehensive international environmental meetings. I congratulate every member of our Foundation and applaud them heartily. I also extend my gratitude to our supporting Ministries and the Istanbul Governorship."

"THE EQUIVALENT OF 2,000 GARBAGE TRUCKS OF PLASTIC WASTE MIXING INTO THE OCEANS EVERY DAY IS NOT JUST A WASTE MANAGEMENT ISSUE"

Emine Erdoğan noted that there is a continent of garbage in the northern Pacific Ocean, made of tons of trash and plastic, covering 1.6 million square kilometers, standing as a monument to the drama and narrow straits of humanity that recklessly uses its resources amid that vast blueness.

Pointing out that this accumulation of waste, nearly twice the size of Turkey's surface area, tells the story of the waste and consumption crisis behind the climate crisis, Erdoğan stated, "The equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks of plastic waste mixing into the oceans every day is not just a waste management issue. Just as the reach of microplastics to the most remote corners of our world, from Antarctica to the summit of Everest, is not ordinary environmental pollution."

Erdoğan said all these things tell a neglected truth: humanity has produced more than ever before and accumulated greater prosperity than ever in history. "If you look at landfills today, you'll see them filled with clothes enough to dress several generations, items sacrificed to planned obsolescence, and food we discard just because we don't like its shape," said Erdoğan, adding that in the same world, millions of people cannot even meet their basic needs.

"INSTEAD OF INCREASING COLLECTIVE HAPPINESS BY SHARING WHAT WE HAVE, WE TURN WHAT WE HAVE INTO WASTE"

Stating that even without looking at any other data, just by looking at the amount of waste produced, one can clearly see a great injustice growing alongside this prosperity, Erdoğan remarked, "In other words, the mentality of use-and-throw, throw-and-forget, don't-think-consume consumes not only natural resources but also humanity's core values. The consumer culture developed with industrialization, while building a fake comfort zone from plastics, also severely damages humanity's common sense and conscience. So, humanity leaves behind a broken scale of justice along with a heavy ecological burden for the future. Instead of increasing collective happiness by sharing what we have with the morality of letting others live, we turn what we have into waste."

Emine Erdoğan emphasized that they see zero waste as a ticket for humanity's journey back to essence, pointing out that they believe both nature and human values will improve as this spreads.

Erdoğan stated that this understanding formed the intellectual foundations of the Zero Waste Movement they started in 2017 by saying 'The World is Our Common Home,' and that the Zero Waste Foundation they established in 2023 has, with its globally conducted initiatives, elevated the zero waste vision to a new level internationally, making significant contributions to integrating zero waste with topics like climate action, circular economy, sustainable cities, resource efficiency, food systems, and social resilience.

"AHEAD OF THE SUMMIT, WE PROPOSE ZERO WASTE AS A CLIMATE ACTION"

Emine Erdoğan used the following expressions: "The coincidence of this year's forum with the same period as the COP31 Climate Summit, which Turkey will host, is an important opportunity to explain the strategic value of zero waste in the fight against climate change. Because while there are many ways to combat climate change, zero waste is a bridge that connects all these paths. It is, in fact, the most transformative force of the climate struggle. Therefore, we see this year's forum as an important milestone on the road to the COP31 Climate Summit hosted by Turkey. Ahead of the summit, we propose zero waste as a climate action. I believe every dialogue discussed within the forum will make significant contributions to understanding this central role of zero waste. Every year, 5.8 trillion plates of food in the world go to waste without reaching people in need. Over 2 billion tons of food are wasted in fields, on tables, in restaurants, and grocery stores. We use nearly one-third of agricultural land just to produce the food that will be wasted. Waste on this scale brings about ecosystem degradation as well. On top of that, about 14% of methane emissions, which have a very high share in climate change, come from food waste. When we look at the human cost, we see a picture equally heavy and sorrowful. We live in a world where 673 million people struggle with hunger, and over 2 billion people cannot get enough nutrition."

"EMPTY PLATES AND EXTINGUISHED HOPES ARE A VERY HEAVY BURDEN ON OUR CONSCIENCE FOR ALL OF US"

Emine Erdoğan described that half of the children who die before reaching the age of 5 die of starvation, and that even while she was speaking in this hall today, somewhere in the world a child is fighting for life in the grip of hunger.

Erdoğan, speaking about a mother or father suffering from the sorrow of not being able to feed their child, said, "The most painful part is that, despite knowing we could end global hunger by saving just a quarter of the food we throw away, we cannot eliminate this tragic contradiction. While trash bins overflow and untouched food is loaded onto garbage trucks, empty plates and fading hopes become a heavy burden of conscience for all of us."

Erdoğan drew attention to the fact that with every wasted morsel, there are people whose fate depends on that bite, and emphasized that 60 percent of food waste occurs in homes.

Emine Erdoğan highlighted that Turkey carries out exemplary work on food waste, stating, "With the 'Bread Waste Prevention Campaign' we launched in 2008, we reduced waste by 40 percent. During our G-20 Presidency in 2015, we brought the theme of 'Reducing Food Losses and Waste Within the Framework of Sustainable Food Systems' to the international agenda. As a result of these efforts, the Technical Platform on Measuring and Reducing Food Loss and Waste was established in Rome, within the Secretariat of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In 2020, through the 'Protect Your Food, Save Your Table' campaign, implemented in cooperation with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, we reached millions of citizens. This initiative was shown as a best practice example at the United Nations."

"A SOLIDARITY IN WHICH THOSE WITH THE HEAVIEST BURDEN DO NOT TAKE THE FRONT LINES REMAINS INCOMPLETE"

Erdoğan, pointing out that this year they once again brought the issue to the global agenda under the United Nations by choosing the theme of food waste for "March 30 International Zero Waste Day," explained that with all these steps, they have made significant contributions to the "Zero Hunger Goal" and to making the global food system fairer and more sustainable, but that this issue requires greater global cooperation.

Erdoğan stated that progress in this struggle depends on the countries with the largest shares in industry and consumption rates taking responsibility at the current point the world has reached, saying, "A solidarity in which those with the heaviest burden do not take the front lines remains incomplete. For a world where no one is left behind and resources are not wasted can only be built in this way."

"WE MUST SEE EVERY LOCAL CULTURE AS A MANUAL FOR A NATURE-FRIENDLY LIFE THAT WILL OFFER REAL SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE"

Erdoğan stated that the most important missed point in the fight against climate change is the exclusion of local wisdom by monocenter knowledge systems, marginalizing it in parentheses, and said, "Unfortunately, the cyclical life practices that form the essence of local cultures have become lost treasures in the modern world. Yet we said, 'Humanity is greater than five.' So, we must see every local culture as a manual for a nature-friendly life that will offer real solutions to climate change."

Emine Erdoğan recounted that throughout her zero waste journey, she has witnessed many times how willing people are to establish a life in harmony with nature, and noted that everyone who adopts the zero waste philosophy becomes an active actor in the fight against climate change.

Erdoğan, stating that they firmly believe zero waste volunteers are the driving force of the transformation that will make a fairer world possible, said, "At this point, we need your leadership. Because it is first states and their institutions, and then civil society organizations, that will carry zero waste from theory to life, from discourse to practice, and thus build a fair world for everyone."

Erdoğan, conveying that the starting meridian of a fair world runs through this civilization vision extending 'from me to us,' thanked those who contributed to the program.

"THIS COMMON VOICE TO RISE FROM ISTANBUL WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD"

Zero Waste Foundation President Samed Ağırbaş stated that climate change, resource loss, food waste, water stress, and environmental degradation are not problems any single country can solve alone.

Ağırbaş emphasized that these problems are common issues of humanity, saying, "The era we live in is a period that brings the greatest consumption pressures as well as the greatest production capacity in human history."

Ağırbaş explained that change will only be possible not just with those who see the problems, but with those who take them to heart, take action to produce solutions, and take responsibility for the common future of humanity, using the expression, "I believe that this common voice to rise from Istanbul will make a strong contribution to the construction of a fairer, cleaner, more livable, and more sustainable world."

Anaclaudia Rossbach, Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, also gave a speech at the program.

The forum was attended by Princess Dana Firas of Jordan, Auxillia Mnangagwa, wife of the President of Zimbabwe, and Angeline Ndayishimiye, wife of the President of Burundi, UN Zero Waste Advisory Board Vice President Jose Manuel Moller, Russian Federation Deputy President and Climate Special Representative Ruslan Edelgeriev, former President of Mauritius Ameenah Gurib, former President of Serbia Boris Tadic, former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, and former President of Slovenia Borut Pahor.

The forum was also attended by Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, members of the UN Zero Waste Advisory Board, ministers of agriculture, forestry, environment, fisheries, industry, technology, economy, energy, and water economy from many countries, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, and his wife Gülden Gül.

After her session, Emine Erdoğan toured the exhibition area together with high-level foreign guests.

Later, citizens showed intense interest in Emine Erdoğan as she visited the Zero Waste Festival area.