[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Csaba\u00a0K\u0151r\u00f6si<\/em>,<\/em> President of the 77th<\/sup> session of the General Assembly<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n —-<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0High-level Meeting on Zero Waste <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n 30 March 2023 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n (As delivered by Ambassador Aksoltan Ataeva, Permanent Representatives of Turkmenistan and Vice President of the General Assembly, who delivered the remarks on behalf of the President of the General Assembly) <\/strong><\/p>\n \n \n Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres,<\/em><\/p>\n First Lady of T\u00fcrkiye, H.E. Emine Erdo\u011fan,<\/em><\/p>\n Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ-Habitat Executive Director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif,<\/em><\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/em><\/p>\n Distinguished delegates, <\/em><\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen,<\/em><\/p>\n I commend T\u00fcrkiye for raising awareness about the potential of zero-waste initiatives in fostering environmentally sound waste reduction and management, and promoting sustainable development.<\/p>\n My thanks as well to First Lady Emine Erdo\u011fan for championing T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s national success in promoting zero waste as part of the global push to tackle climate change.<\/p>\n I also applaud the General Assembly for doing its part to turn this important cause into a tool for transformative policy-making.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything is linked together, everything is inseparable,\u201d as the saying goes.<\/p>\n Promoting zero-waste initiatives can have a profound impact on our efforts to fulfill the 17 Goals of our 2030 Agenda \u2013 particularly Goals 11, 12, 13 and 14.<\/p>\n Let me start with a terrifying figure.<\/p>\n The world generates\u00a02.01 billion tonnes<\/strong>\u00a0of municipal solid waste annually \u2013 a number expected to grow to 3.40 billion by 2050.<\/span><\/p>\n That means each day, each one of us generates 0.74 kilograms of garbage \u2013 which is about the weight of a wireless keyboard and a ketchup bottle, or a box of cereal and a loaf of bread.<\/span><\/p>\n When we throw something away, it does not disappear. It goes somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n This is why our oceans are filled with plastic.<\/p>\n Our air is polluted with toxic gasses.<\/p>\n And our landfills are overflowing.<\/p>\n We are destroying our planet at an alarming rate.<\/p>\n The risks of delaying action are clear: more pollution, more environmental degradation, more health risks, and more economic losses.<\/p>\n \n The World Bank estimates that by 2050, the cost of environmental damage from mismanaged waste could reach $375 billion per year, more than double the current amounts.<\/p>\n But there is a solution.<\/p>\n We have the power to embrace the circular economy of reduce, reuse, and recycle.<\/p>\n To transform the way we produce and consume goods and services.<\/p>\n Achieving zero waste is not just an environmental issue; it is a social and economic issue.<\/p>\n \n Transitioning to a circular economy could generate $4.5 trillion in economic benefits by 2030.<\/p>\n \n Investing in waste management could create up to 15 million jobs globally by 2030.<\/p>\n \n All, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 39 per cent.<\/p>\n \n These are the numbers behind the General Assembly\u2019s decision to proclaim today, the first ever observance of the International Day of Zero Waste \u2013 an initiative <\/span>led by T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n \n T<\/span>\u00fcrkiye<\/span> took in some 11.4 million tonnes of waste from EU countries last year \u2013 triple the amount in 2004 \u2013 helping to advance sustainable development throughout the European Union.<\/p>\n \n The Zero-Waste project, initiated by First Lady <\/span>Erdo\u011fan in 2017<\/span>, also <\/span>added $2.3 billion<\/span>\u00a0to the Turkish economy, thanks to the large amount of material and food saved from reducing waste.<\/span><\/p>\n \n This is one of many success stories around the world:<\/p>\n \n The Republic of Korea currently recycles 95 per cent of its food waste, up from 2 per cent in 1995.<\/p>\n \n The African Union has set an ambitious target for African cities to recycle at least 50 per cent of the waste they generate by 2023, with estimates showing the continent could inject $8 billion annually into its economy.<\/p>\n \n And across Nepal, municipalities are working with local communities and the private sector to introduce innovative approaches, including a \u201czero waste centre\u201d in Tinchuli which is training local women and youth to repurpose and sell recycled products.<\/p>\n \n I also commend the work led by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Habitat and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP as lead agencies, as well as FAO and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵIDO, in elevating the issue of zero waste within global efforts to promote sustainable consumption and production \u2013 and support the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n \n Today, we are here to raise awareness of the national, regional, and local zero-waste initiatives and their contribution to achieving sustainable development.<\/p>\n \n Engaging Member States, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies, civil society, the private sector and academia is the only way for us to genuinely learn from each other and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n \n By sharing these experiences in developing and implementing solid waste management solutions and technologies, we can take a holistic approach to tackling the challenges before us.<\/p>\n As we listen to each other, please keep in mind that zero-waste is a journey, not a destination.<\/p>\n And we are on it together.<\/p>\n I thank you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Csaba\u00a0K\u0151r\u00f6si, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly —- \u00a0High-level Meeting on Zero Waste 30 March 2023 (As delivered by Ambassador Aksoltan Ataeva, Permanent Representatives of Turkmenistan and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Csaba\u00a0K\u0151r\u00f6si<\/em>,<\/i>\u00a0President of the 77th<\/sup>\u00a0session of the General Assembly<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\n ----<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\n Second informal consultations convened by the co-facilitators on the<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>political declaration to be adopted by the SDG Summit in September 2023<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n 16 March 2023<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\nExcellencies, esteemed colleagues,\r\n\r\nI thank the co-facilitators, Ambassador Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani of Qatar and Ambassador Fergal Mythen of Ireland for the invitation.\r\n\r\nFergal, happy St. Patrick\u2019s Day to you!\r\n\r\nDear Alya and Fergal, I am sincerely grateful to you for your work leading this process, and in particular the preparation of the elements paper circulated to MS on 28 February.\r\n\r\nThis paper is a good basis to start the discussion.\r\n\r\nI fully agree with the co-facilitators\u2019 call for the political declaration to be a consensual, concise, ambitious, action-oriented and transformative document.\r\n\r\nI have been particularly pleased by their emphasis on the need to have an ambitious and transformative outcome at the Summit.\r\n\r\nI am sure that, if we want to have such an outcome, we need transformative elements. We have to tell the world why and how the second half of the SDG implementation period will be more impactful and our pledges more credible.\r\n\r\nWe may think of what has been missing from the current implementation and reporting. If you wish, where are the Gamechangers \u2013 that will make our commitments more credible.\r\n\r\nI have in mind key building blocks such as \u201cBeyond GDP\u201d or the creation of the scientific evaluation system of the SDGs\u2019 implementation.\r\n\r\n\u201cBeyond GDP\u201d to measure the real transformation for which we had no real tool until now and Scientific Validation System\u00a0to make the data comparable and validate the aggregated impacts.\r\n\r\nI am very much encouraged by the positive feedback from Member States and various stakeholders on these proposals.\r\n\r\nLikewise, it will be useful and helpful to take into consideration the discussions and commitments that emanated or will, hopefully, emanate from several processes, such as the Transforming Education Summit, COP27, COP 15, the LDC5 Conference, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Water Conference, the Sendai Framework Mid-Term Review, the HLPF, and FfD.\r\n\r\nI am sure that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Water Conference as well as other upcoming meetings and ongoing processes will result in game-changers that can also find their place in the political declaration of the SDG Summit.\r\n\r\nThe SDG Summit will constitute the mid-point review of the implementation of the 17 Goals.\r\n\r\nMy vision for the SDG Summit is one of a meeting that serves to produce a quality change in our efforts to accelerate implementation at all levels.\r\n\r\nA quantum leap, if you wish.\r\n\r\nAn outcome to turbocharge implementation.\r\n\r\nFor that to happen, we need to go beyond repeating well-known affirmations, set out bold steps and demonstrate leadership at this critical time.\r\n\r\nThe outcome will provide guidance to many international platforms. organisations, including development, banks.\r\n\r\nLadies and gentlemen,\r\n\r\nThe stakes are huge. The real transformation is at stake.\r\n\r\nNot necessarily the relocation of some existing resources, not only, but to recalibrate the system of priorities and use the cooperation channels, national plans and resources accordingly.\r\n\r\nBefore the summit, we have to raise the level of transparency and honesty to review the lessons learnt from the past VNRs and look at where we can unlock new commitments, find new tools, and adopt innovative policies based on scientific inputs.\r\n\r\nI am greatly encouraged by the briefing of the Independent Group of Scientists on GSDR that took place on 7 February as a part of the first GA informal plenary briefing on \u201cScience-based Evidence in Support of the Sustainable Solutions\u201d.\r\n\r\nThe briefing from the IGS gave us a bedrock of scientific knowledge, a basis for unfolding this crucial negotiation process \u2013 and I would very much like to continue in this spirit.\r\n\r\nThat is why the second scientific informal plenary briefing will focus on \u201cBeyond GDP\u201d, \u201cFood Security and Sustainability Transformation\u201d and \u201cA Scientific Support System for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ\u201d.\r\n\r\nIt will take place on 12 April at 10am in the Trusteeship Council Chamber.\r\n\r\nI invite you all to join us there.\r\n\r\nAs part of my commitment to hear from the civil society and motivate them to bring their contributions to the SDG Summit, I will convene my second Town Hall meeting with CSOs on 20 April at 10am.\r\n\r\nThe focus of this townhall will be on the need for accelerated progress towards the achievement of the SDGs by 2030.\r\n\r\nLet me thank the co-facilitators for kindly agreeing to participate in this Town Hall meeting.\r\n\r\nDear Friends,\r\n\r\nI wish you a fruitful discussion today and count on your support to ensure that we have a truly ambitious outcome.\r\n\r\nAn outcome that really helps us jointly transform the world.\r\n\r\nI thank you.\r\n\r\n\u00a0","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[575,561,562],"class_list":["post-251872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-statements","tag-ceo-roundtable-discussion-on-a-gender-equal-future-of-work-in-the-digital-age","tag-commission-on-the-status-of-women","tag-csw","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n