Emine Erdoğan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, made a speech at the "Investing in the Welfare of Children: The Path to Sustainable and Equitable Development of Future Generations World Summit" held in Samarkand, the capital of Uzbekistan.
Greeting the participants at the summit, First Lady Erdoğan said that she was very happy to be in Uzbekistan, the pearl of Transoxiana, on the occasion of this meaningful summit.
Stating that they are together today to talk about the welfare of children, First Lady Erdoğan said, "I find it particularly meaningful to address this vital issue in Samarkand, one of the most magnificent civilization basins of our ancient tradition. I believe that the unique accumulation of knowledge and wisdom from Biruni to Ibn Sina, from Imam Bukhari to Khwarezmi, will shed light on our goal of establishing a just world full of well-being for our children. In our view, the child is the heart of humanity. "Issues related to them should always be kept at the center of the global agenda." he said.
First Lady Erdoğan stated that there is a direct relationship between the sustainable development and future of a society and the investment in child welfare and said, "When we say child welfare, our criteria are clear. We take as a basis the meeting of basic needs such as nutrition, shelter, security, access to education and health services. However, the world is changing every day. Therefore, traditional indicators measuring child welfare, numbers expressed in percentages, can turn into a wholesale approach that obscures the big picture. Because the measurements we make are actually a way of seeing. They are selective. Numbers show what they focus on." "While we tell what we have received, the same numbers also tell what we ignore." he said.
Stating that it is essential for welfare statistics that children go to school and not be exposed to physical violence, First Lady Erdoğan said, "But going to school does not always mean receiving a qualified education, not being exposed to violence, and being loved and valued. Therefore, evaluating today's world with yesterday's criteria gives incomplete results. Because we live in an age of multiple crises and our children face multidimensional challenges. We must also include the climate crisis, war conditions and the forced migrations caused by these into the equation." he said.
In addition, pointing out that rapid changes in the world add new concepts to the literature every day, First Lady Erdoğan stated that issues such as climate anxiety, artificial intelligence, digital violence, attention exploitation have become the new generation problem areas of humanity and that the definition of "child welfare" should be reconsidered according to the needs of the age.
"We are one of the first countries to take action to protect our children with the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Digital World"
First Lady Erdoğan emphasized that in Türkiye, they developed social policies with this understanding, by reading the spirit of the time, and that they saw the child's physical needs and mental, spiritual and moral needs as a whole, and shared the following examples:
"Above all, we embrace the principle that protecting the family institution is the basic condition for protecting the child. In this respect, the declaration of 2025 as the Year of the Family by our President was the first step of a long-term vision. We have determined the period 2026-2035 as the 'Decade of Family and Population'. With our Turkey Century Education Model, we raise our children as well-equipped individuals who can look at the world from the window of their own geography and keep up with the times. We have implemented the Digital "We are one of the first countries in the world to take action to protect our children against the risks of digital life with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In this context, we have limited the access of children under the age of 15 to social media and introduced obligations such as age verification and parental control on platforms."
Stating that they have expanded foster family services with the Voluntary Ambassadors Project, which UNICEF shows as an exemplary project, First Lady Erdoğan said, "Today, more than 11 thousand children live a happy life under the protection of their foster families. We also include children who have migrated to our country and are victims of war. Because, it is the duty of us adults to ensure the welfare of all children without any discrimination. In fulfilling this duty, we must join hands as many stakeholders such as governments, families, educators, non-governmental organizations and media organizations. "I would like to express that children are our most important issue and, as Türkiye, we are always ready for collaborations that will benefit them." he said.
"In one geography, children run to class when the school bell rings; in another geography, they run to escape the war sirens."
First Lady Erdoğan stated that this summit hosted more than 100 countries and said, "As representatives of more than 100 countries, we are together to provide fair and equal opportunities to all children of the world and to voice their needs. Then, let's raise this voice to solve the problems of children, especially those living in war zones and who cannot dream of any dreams for the future. Because today, when the school bell rings in one geography, children run to class, in another geography, they run to escape the war sirens. Snow falling in one place, children hold a snowman in their hands." "60 percent of deaths due to childhood cancer occur in areas of armed conflict." he said.
Stating that more than 21 thousand children lost their lives in Gaza in 3 years, First Lady Erdoğan said, "More than 10 thousand children suffered permanent disabilities and limb loss. 197 ambulances, 38 hospitals and 96 health centers were bombed and put out of service. 700 thousand students were deprived of their right to education. Today, more than 1 million children in Gaza live with the dream of receiving their rights from child welfare. Let's not forget that a world where no one is left behind is possible only when the sirens of war are silent." "I personally believe this is the most valuable message we will give from Samarkand." he said.
Wishing that the summit would bring good things for children and all humanity, First Lady Erdoğan concluded her words by thanking Ziroat Mirziyoyeva, wife of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, for this meaningful meeting.
Notes from the program
To attend the summit, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş and NUN Education and Culture Foundation Chairman Dr. First Lady Erdoğan, who came to Samarkand with Esra Albayrak, was welcomed by Uzbekistan President Şevket Mirziyoyev's wife, Ziroat, and her daughter, First Deputy Chairman of the Uzbekistan National Social Protection Agency, Shakhnoza Shavkatovna Mirziyoyeva.
While the Mirziyoyeva family hugged and warmly welcomed First Lady Erdoğan and her entourage, a souvenir photo was taken during the welcome.
Before the program, First Lady Erdoğan chatted with the Lebanese President's wife Nimet Avn, the Zimbabwean President's wife Auxillia Mnangagwa, the Kyrgyz President's wife Aygül Caparova, the former Serbian President's wife Tamara Vucic, the daughter of the Azerbaijani President Leyla Aliyeva and the daughter of the President of Pakistan Asıfa Bhutto Zardari, who attended the summit before the program.
The summit started with the reading of the message of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev by the Press Secretary of the President of Uzbekistan Sherzod Asadov, and a video was shown.
President of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Khalilur Rahman, Ziroat Mirziyoyeva, Shakhnoza Shavkatovna Mirziyoyeva and UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Violence Against Children Dr. At the summit, where Najat Maalla M'jid spoke, the video message sent to the program by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed was watched. Also in the program, UN Uzbekistan Resident Coordinator Sabine Machl read the message of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Children also presented dance and music shows in the program.
In the general session held after the opening ceremony of the summit and started with the speech of First Lady Erdoğan, the spouses of other leaders and some institution representatives made speeches, while the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. The video message of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was played.
The summit, where participants came together for lunch after the first session, continued in the afternoon with sessions held with the participation of Minister of Family and Social Services Göktaş and Esra Albayrak.
Emine Erdoğan's social media post
In her post about the program, First Lady Erdoğan stated that they came together with esteemed spouses of leaders and representatives from different countries at the "Investing in the Welfare of Children: The Path to Sustainable and Equitable Development of Future Generations World Summit" held in Samarkand, the pearl of Transoxiana.
Noting that they handle the welfare of children in line with the needs of the age and evaluate their common responsibilities for the future, First Lady Erdoğan said, "As Turkey, we attach importance to standing by all children without any discrimination. In our opinion, children are the heart of humanity. Issues related to them should always be kept at the center of the global agenda. We see it as our duty as humanity to be the voice of children in war zones, especially in Gaza. Because we believe that a world where no one is left behind is possible only when the sirens of war are silent." he said.
In her post, First Lady Erdoğan, who wished that the unity of hearts established on the occasion of this meaningful summit would last forever, thanked her friend Ziroat Mirziyoyeva.
