Uzbekistan’s first lady backs Emine Erdoğan’s Zero Waste Alliance

Ziroat Mirziyoyeva attended a high-level meeting in Antalya where the Global Zero Waste Alliance was announced at Emine Erdoğan’s initiative. Uzbekistan’s first lady proposed developing environmental education and youth environmental projects within the alliance.

Uzbekistan’s First Lady Ziroat Mirziyoyeva attended a high-level meeting in Antalya where the Global Zero Waste Alliance was announced as part of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31). The meeting was held on November 11 by Emine Erdoğan, the wife of Türkiye’s president, who invited the spouses of heads of state and government to Antalya.

The alliance aims to unite the efforts of leaders’ spouses to promote the responsible use of natural resources and reduce waste. Speaking at the meeting, Mirziyoyeva thanked Emine Erdoğan for the invitation and warm hospitality and particularly highlighted her personal contribution to promoting the Zero Waste initiative internationally, the Uzbek National News Agency reported.

Uzbekistan’s first lady put forward several proposals for the alliance’s work: expanding environmental education, supporting environmental projects proposed by young people and turning these initiatives into practical projects.

Uzbekistan’s First Lady Ziroat Mirziyoyeva at a high-level COP31 meeting

According to Uzbekistan’s National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, Mirziyoyeva, who also chairs the board of trustees of the international public foundation Zamin, visited Uzbekistan’s national pavilion at the conference. The foundation’s Uzbekistan Eco-Schools project was presented there. It provides an environmental education system covering all stages of learning, from preschool institutions and primary schools to colleges and universities.

Mirziyoyeva was in Antalya together with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who spoke at the COP31 leaders’ summit. Emine Erdoğan launched the Zero Waste movement in Türkiye in 2017, and in 2022 the UN General Assembly, at Türkiye’s initiative, declared March 30 International Zero Waste Day. Emine Erdoğan chairs the UN Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste.

Uzbekistan’s first lady backs Emine Erdoğan’s Zero Waste Alliance