Turkish FM, UN chief discuss Zero Waste initiative

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Doha, Qatar, on March 5.

Their meeting is taking place as part of the fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), Anadolu reports.

The officials discussed a variety of issues including the Turkish Zero-Waste Initiative.

Cavusoglu tweeted that he arrived in the Gulf country to attend the fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) scheduled for March 5-9, and held the first meeting with Guterres.

“Grateful for the assistance of the #UN after the earthquake in Türkiye. Discussed our Zero Waste initiative, the situation in Ukraine, Istanbul Grain Deal,” Cavusoglu said.

The Turkish minister is also expected to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts on the sidelines of the event.

In 2017, under the auspices of first lady Emine Erdogan, Türkiye launched the project with the aim of highlighting the importance of zero waste in fighting the climate crisis.

On December 14, 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to proclaim March 30 as the International Day of Zero Waste, to be observed annually. Türkiye, with 105 other countries, had put forward the resolution.

LDCs are the battleground on which the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be won or lost. At LDC5, UNCTAD calls for bold action and development cooperation to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable development in LDCs.