The very first face-to-face meeting of the U.N. Zero Waste Advisory Board is set to take place in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul this November, the executive director of U.N.-Habitat said on Saturday.
Recalling that the first World Cities Day event was held in Shanghai in 2013, Maimunah Mohd Sharif told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the theme for this year in Istanbul under the leadership of Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan – who has spearheaded Türkiye's zero waste efforts – will be financing city agendas.
Sharif, who previously served as an important mayor in Malaysia, said they hope and expect to see U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attend the meeting in person on Nov. 1, as he will be invited by the chair.
"We will check our work plan, which includes what we want to achieve in the next three years” by sharing "the best practices and also the challenges in a more holistic and integrated manner,” she underlined.
About U.N.-Habitat’s current work on the zero waste goal, Sharif referred to the Waste Wise Cities Initiative in 2018, stressing that around 400 to 500 cities have already joined the program.
"We had the first International Zero Waste Day on the 30th of March this year in New York,” she noted, adding, "We have already set up one unit on solid waste management,” including waste treatment, wastewater treatment and analyzing waste sources to come up with proper action.
Underlining that climate change is real, the U.N. official cited reports stating this July has been the hottest month to date, criticizing how the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has rarely mentioned the issue despite its gravity.
Reaching the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is critical at this point, she stressed, noting that the costs of these zero-waste-related actions are also vitally important.
"Up to now 2.3 billion tons of waste have not been properly treated so far,” she said, adding that this means "almost 40% of global waste has not been managed in a proper way.”
Voicing hope that at least 1,000 cities will join the Zero Waste Program, she said that this is directly "linked to the quality of life for people.”
Underscoring that waste management will be a priority during the meeting, Sharif said the first ladies of Suriname and Sierra Leone, researchers, and members from both the public and private sectors will be among the advisory committee members who will share ideas and advice related to best practices on the issue.
Defining sustainability as using limited resources in a way so as to not jeopardize future generations, the U.N.-Habitat head said a global effort is truly needed to accomplish this.
Out of 169 Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015, only two have so far been reached, which demonstrates that "we are not going forward, we are behind in achieving all goals,” she stressed.
"All of us have to play a role” in doing so, Sharif noted.
