Minister Kurum, in his speech at the opening of the "From Zero Waste to COP31: Türkiye's Climate Diplomacy" panel held at the Presidency Directorate of Communications, stated that the Zero Waste Movement, initiated under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's wife Emine Erdoğan, made a new call to all humanity from the zero point of humanity.
Stating that in this call, nature and man are not rivals, but companions, Kurum said, "The Anatolian people who made this call come from a culture that kisses bread when it falls on the ground and puts it on their forehead, does not waste even running water, and despises the concept of unlimited consumption. This is exactly why Zero Waste has become a great mobilization in our country, spreading in waves from the individual to the society and all segments of society. Our children carried what they learned to their homes. Our families changed their habits." he said.
Reminding that, as a public authority, they have created a wide application area from institutions to schools, from municipalities to businesses, the Authority said that they save energy and water and prevent greenhouse gas emissions while protecting resources with the Zero Waste Movement.
The institution reported that they increased the recovery rate, which was 13 percent in 2017, to 37 percent in 2025, and that they recovered 90 million tons of waste during this period and contributed approximately 365 billion lira to the economy.
Stating that we are now at a new stage with DOA and that they collect and recycle waste, Kurum said, "So far, we have reintroduced 520 million packages to the economy with the Returnable Packaging System. In this respect, the zero waste movement is not only the name of a local experience and a global success, but also the common working language of the climate diplomacy we carry out on a global scale. On this occasion, I would like to once again express my gratitude to First Lady First Lady Erdoğan, who has made great efforts to spread the zero waste movement around the world." he said.
"The real danger is that the climate crisis will turn this planet into an unbreathable, uninhabitable place."
Minister Kurum pointed out that they were preparing for COP31 at a time when political instability deepened, conflicts increased, and the most basic humanitarian problems affected all geographies.
Explaining that the world is in a great shock today and that wars have displaced millions of people, Kurum stated that economic crises and conflict-related uncertainties have changed the balances.
The institution stated that humanity is stuck in a narrow circle surrounded by uncertainty and continued: "But let's say this clearly, these political and economic storms that fill the headlines today will come and go. There is something else that will not pass, that we cannot bring back. Humanity and nature are rapidly moving towards the edge of a cliff. The real danger is that the climate crisis will turn this planet into an unbreathable, uninhabitable place. Just last night, you must have followed it. A violent tornado in Antalya hit many of our districts." "Unfortunately, we lost 4 of our citizens. May God have mercy on our brothers who lost their lives, and I wish patience to their relatives and all of Antalya. We are one of the countries most exposed to the devastating effects of the climate crisis due to its location in the Mediterranean basin. We must learn to live with this awareness and take precautions."
For this reason, the Authority evaluated urban transformation as a matter of national security and said that they would share the lessons learned from all experiences, the experience they gained in the field and the solutions they developed with the whole world in Antalya.
"Now is the time to implement"
COP31 President Kurum emphasized that combating climate change requires strong diplomacy. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "The shortest path to peace is constructive dialogue and diplomacy." Recalling his words, Kurum stated that, in this context, they focused on the fact that countries' possibilities, needs and responsibilities in the climate crisis are different.
The institution underlined that an island state that is worried about the future of a country struggling with drought due to rising sea levels also wanted to make its voice heard in Antalya and said, "We prepared for COP31 with this understanding and determined our road map as dialogue, consensus and action. We will determine the needs of the countries through dialogue, put forward our road map in this field in line with the targets we have determined, strengthen the will, and turn this will into concrete results with action. Each table we will establish in Antalya will be somewhere in the world." "We expect it to respond to a need that has been resolved." he said.
Stating that they carried out intensive preparations for COP31 at home and abroad throughout the year, the Authority stated that they made 51 visits and attended 16 international summits in this context.
Minister Kurum explained that in each of these contacts, they talked about what the countries needed and what could be done together, and said that they went to Antalya with the outcomes of all these meetings, listening and the climate diplomacy they carried out throughout the year. Stating that Turkey, as Türkiye, will tell the world "Now is the time for implementation" at COP31, Kurum continued his words as follows:
"We will say that the noise of daily crises should never drown out the voice of the real truth, let's not leave the future of our world in darkness. If the devastating consequences of the climate crisis are felt in our daily lives, we will say that the results of the climate targets should also be visible. Of course, as the COP31 presidency, we will also say that we will fulfill every call we make. As Turkey, we have determined our goals and put forward our commitments. Now is the time to accelerate the investments and expand the collaborations that will realize these goals. 'COP31 will be the implementation COP' is worthy of our promise." "We will talk about our 10 priorities."
"Food security is achieved by protecting water and soil"
Providing information about the 10 priorities, the Authority stated that the first priority is zero waste, and that the zero waste they will experience at every point of the COP area will be one of the main topics in the negotiations.
Minister Kurum explained that they aim to reduce the expected increase in global municipal waste production by at least half by 2035, and that they will encourage partnerships to reach the rate of circular material use at least 15 percent by 2035.
Stating that they are making preparations to protect the seas and oceans, to prevent pollution at its source and to strengthen the resilience of the coasts, Kurum said, "We said that food safety is achieved by protecting water and soil. We acted with the understanding of supporting producers and popularizing climate-resistant agriculture." he said.
Minister Kurum stated that Turkey has set a target to reduce the energy use intensity of buildings by at least 25 percent by 2035, and said that they aim to transform the infrastructure needs of cities into investment projects ready for financing with the SURFF Project developed by ILBANK.
Emphasizing that they will bring together the goals of countries with applicable projects with the Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE) to strengthen financing and institutional capacity, Kurum said, "We will strengthen the connections needed from project preparation to technical support to access to finance. We will accelerate the clean energy transformation. We will develop collaborations so that the share of electrification in global final energy consumption reaches 35 percent in 2035. We will grow more efficient production by using fewer resources in green industrialization." he said.
"We will show Türkiye's power"
Minister Kurum stated that during the entire COP31 presidency, they will adopt President Erdoğan's approach of not giving up dialogue even in the most difficult crises and taking responsibility for reconciliation.
Stating that, as Türkiye, they will once again build bridges between continents and host 85 leaders and approximately 1.5 million guests, Kurum said:
"We will provide an unforgettable experience to our guests from all over the world with the works of our valuable national and international artists, exhibitions, concerts, panels and events. We will show the hospitality of Antalya and the power of Türkiye in all 1.1 million square meters, from the blue area to the green area. Most importantly, I believe that the peaceful diplomacy of our country will inspire COP31. Every table established with dialogue will turn into consensus and action. Every step we take together is what we will leave to our children." "It will be the greatest legacy."
