Zero Waste Commitment

Global Commitment to Zero Waste for

The World Our Common Home

Recognising the need to promote the efficient use of finite resources, reduce and eliminate waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse, among others, in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

Acknowledging the strong link between sustainable waste management, resource efficiency and climate change,

We commit ourselves to implement sustainable waste management practices,

We pledge to promote the zero waste approach worldwide and share best practices for its wider recognition and application,

Moreover, we pledge to support initiatives, campaigns, programs, projects and activities that promote zero waste in order to encourage a responsible waste production and consumption,

We commit to sharing the best practices and lessons learned from projects such as Zero Waste Project of Türkiye, encouraging the development of similar policies on waste management,

We call for UN Member States, UN System entities, and members of the civil society, private sector, media, as well as local authorities to align strategies,approaches and programmatic responses to help accelerate a global transition to circular economy and reduce the adverse impact of waste on climate change.

About Us

Global Commitment to Zero Waste is an initiative realised in accordance with Türkiye's sustainable development and environmental protection goals under the leadership of First Lady Emine Erdoğan. This commitment was created with the intent of protecting the environment, minimising waste and enabling recycling processes.

Global Commitment to Zero Waste aims to raise waste management awareness among individuals, organisations and society in general. In this respect, various training programmes and awareness campaigns are organised in order to prevent waste, use resources efficiently and adopt environment-friendly lifestyles.

The main mission of our initiative is to leave a cleaner and more habitable world for future generations. In line with this goal, by establishing local and international collaborations, we ensure that zero waste principles reach larger masses. Additionally, we organise a variety of projects and events to inform and encourage the community and aim to spread the best practices in waste management.

Global Commitment to Zero Waste is designed as a movement that everyone can contribute to. By implementing sustainability principles in our homes, workplaces and every section of society, we can contribute to the protection of nature. We attach great importance to everyone's support and participation on our path so as to leave a more habitable world for future generations.

Signers

First Signers

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

President of the Republic of Türkiye

Emine Erdoğan

Spouse of the President of the Republic of Türkiye

António Guterres

Secretary-General of the United Nations

First Ladies

Armanda Begaj

First Lady of the Republic of Albania

Angeline Ndayishimiye

First Lady of Burundi

Brigitte Macron

First Lady of the French Republic

Moza Bint Nasser

Mother of the Amir of the State of Qatar

Sibel Tatar

First Lady of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Lis Cuesta Peraza

Spouse of the President of the Republic of Cuba

Sajidha Mohamed

First Lady of the Maldives

Isaura Gonçalo Ferrao Nyusi

First Lady of the Republic of Mozambique

Marième Faye Sall

First Lady of the Republic of Senegal

Fatima Maada Bio

First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone

Olena Zelenska

First Lady of Ukraine

Mehriban Aliyeva

First Lady of the Republic of Azerbaijan, First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Maria de Lourdes Alcívar Crespo

First Lady of the Republic of Ecuador

Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow

First Lady of the Republic of the Gambia

Ambari Daroueche Azali

Spouse of the President of the Republic of Paraguay

Zerrin Üstel

Spouse of Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Andra Apine-Levite

Former First Lady of Latvia Mrs Andra Levite

Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah

Her Majesty Raja Permaisuri Agong

Ziroat Mirziyoyeva

Spouse of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Linda Ramkalawan

First Lady of the Republic of Seychelles

Jane Yumiko Ittogi

Spouse of President of the Republic of Singapore

Le Thi Bich Tran

Spouse of the Prime Minister of Vietnam

Sabina Komšic

Spouse of the Chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sirje Karis

Spouse of the President of the Republic of Estonia

Sabina Higgins

Spouse of the President of Ireland

Kim Keon-hee

Spouse of the President of Republic of Korea

Elena Kovachevska

Spouse of the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia

Anikó Lévai

Spouse of the Prime Minister of Hungary

Lydia Abela

Doctor, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malta

Silvana López Moreira Abdo

Former Spouse of the President of the Republic of Paraguay

Tamara Vucic

Spouse of the President of the Republic of Serbia

Mellisa Santokhi Seenacherry

First Lady of the Republic of Suriname

Auxillia Mnangagwa

Doctor, First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe

United Nations and other Senior Directors

Inger Andersen

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme

Selwin Charles Hart

Under-Secretary-General foSpecial Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transitionr Policy

Maimunah Mohd Sharif

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)

Catherine Russell

Executive Director of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

Jean Todt

United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety

Advisory Board Members

José Manuel Moller

Deputy Chairperson, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Algramo

Guy Bernard Ryder

Under-Secretary-General for Policy, Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG)

Carlos Silva Filho

President, International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)

Prof. Saleem Ali

Professor, Energy and Environment, University of Delaware, and Honorary Professor, Sustainable Resources Development, University of Queensland

Emine Erdoğan

First Lady of the Republic of Türkiye, Chairperson of United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste

Melissa Santokhi-Seenacherry

First Lady of Suriname

Laura Reyes

Executive Director, CEMPRE (Compromiso Empresarial para el Reciclaje

Hakima el Haité

Founder, EauGlobe

Vijay Jagannathan

Secretary-General, CityNet Asia Pacific

Prof. Muhammad Yunus

Head of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Co-founder and Chairman, Yunus Environment Hub

Fatima Maada Bio

First Lady of Sierra Leone

Lara van Druten

Chief Executive Officer, The Waste Transformers

Gino Van Begin

Secretary-General, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability

Milestones

2024
Comprehensive Applications

Integration of zero waste management systems into all sectors and furthering the development of practices.

The integration of innovative solutions and the renewal of waste management technologies.

2023
Awards and Recognition

Incentivising municipalities, institutions, and individuals that exhibit success in zero waste initiatives.

Enhancement of the project's recognition at the national and international levels and being deemed worthy of a variety of awards.

Establishment of the Zero Waste Foundation.

2022
Increasing Community Participation

Conveyance of zero waste initiatives to all members of society through collaboration with non-governmental organisations and local communities.

Organisation of environmental cleansing and recycling activities through voluntary participation.

2021
International Collaborations

Collaboration with the United Nations and other international organisations to promote zero waste initiatives on a global scale.

Promotion of zero waste practices on a globalscale through international conferences and seminars.

2020
Legal Regulations

Incorporation of zero waste principles into a legal framework and establishment of pertinent legal arrangements.

Mandating zero waste practices and the implementation of audit mechanisms.

2019
Proliferation and Training

Implementation of training programmes to promote zero waste awareness in educational institutions, universities, and schools.

Promotion of zero waste initiatives at the local level in collaboration with municipalities.

2018
Corporate Practices

Implementation of zero waste management systems in public institutions.

Realisation of first recycling and waste minimisation projects.

2017
Inception and Launch

Launch of the Zero Waste initiative under the leadership of First Lady Emine Erdoğan.

Introduction of the initiative to the public and launch of awareness campaigns.