Turkish First Lady receives AKDENIZ-PA award for "Zero Waste" project

Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has received the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (AKDENİZ-PA) award for the Zero Waste project for its contributions to peace and prosperity in the European-Mediterranean and Gulf regions.

The award was accepted by Mehmet Ozhaseki, the Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, on behalf of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the First Lady Emine Erdogan, at a ceremony held in Braga, Portugal on May 15.

“I was happy to accept the AKDENİZ-PA award on behalf of all the friends of nature who have adopted the project, developed it with voluntary contributions, and carried it into the future,” the first lady said.

Emine Erdogan emphasised that it is a source of pride for Türkiye that the Zero Waste project was selected as the best project in the Green Transformation category among many nominated projects and was deemed worthy of an international award.

“I see this award not only as a certificate of achievement, but also as a sign of Türkiye's deep commitment to environmental awareness and its decisive steps towards a sustainable future,” she added.

Awards won by 'Zero Waste' Project

Launched in 2017 under the auspices of First Lady Emine Erdogan, the Zero Waste project has so far won many awards.

In 2018, the project received the “Zero Waste, Zero Hunger” award from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

In 2021, the project was awarded the “UNDP Sustainable Development Goals Award” by the United Nations Development Program and the “Waste Wise Cities Global Champion Award” by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

In 2022, the project received the “Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly Award (PAW Awards)” and the “Climate and Development Leadership Award” presented by the World Bank.

The “Türkiye Zero Waste” project, which has become a world brand due to its efforts to make Türkiye a clean, developed and sustainable country within the framework of the project aimed at reducing waste generation, recycling and protecting resources, was nominated on behalf of Türkiye and was deemed worthy of the award at the 16th General Assembly Meeting held in Dubai in 2022.