ANTALYA, TÜRKİYE: Zainab Suleman, daughter-in-law of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, represented Pakistan at an international environmental gathering held alongside the COP31 Climate Summit in Antalya, Türkiye.
She participated in the Global Zero Waste Alliance High-Level Meeting on November 11, joining Türkiye’s First Lady Emine Erdoğan and representatives from several countries to discuss sustainable waste management and environmental protection.
The meeting brought together spouses of world leaders and senior international representatives to explore ways of reducing waste, conserving natural resources, and promoting environmentally responsible practices.
During her address, Zainab Suleman highlighted Pakistan’s support for international cooperation and called for practical efforts to address environmental challenges.
She emphasised the importance of exchanging successful experiences between countries and involving local communities in waste reduction initiatives.
Her remarks also highlighted the connection between environmental protection, public health, economic opportunities, and human dignity.
Suleman encouraged households, educational institutions, and communities to adopt responsible consumption habits. These measures include purchasing food carefully, reducing food waste, improving storage practices, separating household waste, and encouraging recycling and reuse.
She also highlighted the need to improve working conditions for individuals involved in waste collection and waste management.
The Pakistani representative stressed that environmental initiatives should deliver practical benefits rather than remain limited to discussions and commitments.
She encouraged participating countries to demonstrate measurable progress by the next climate summit, COP32, particularly in food waste prevention, resource conservation, and community-led environmental programmes.
Suleman also expressed support for the voluntary nature of the Global Zero Waste Alliance, which provides countries with opportunities to exchange knowledge and develop solutions according to their individual circumstances.
The meeting was hosted by Emine Erdoğan, who chairs the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste.
During the gathering, Erdoğan introduced the Global Zero Waste Alliance as a platform for building international partnerships and turning shared environmental responsibilities into practical initiatives.
She encouraged participating representatives to contribute their countries’ experiences and work towards joint projects that could produce measurable results.
The alliance has identified five priority areas for international cooperation: zero waste and the circular economy, plastic and packaging waste, zero-waste regions, food and organic waste, and environmental education and youth participation.
Türkiye also highlighted its progress in waste recovery and recycling, with Erdoğan referring to an increase in the country’s recycling recovery rate from around 13 percent to more than 37 percent.
Representatives from Brazil, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Mozambique, and other countries also participated in the high-level gathering.
The discussions focused on the importance of cooperation between governments, international organisations, businesses, and local communities to improve waste management systems.
For Pakistan, Suleman’s participation provided an opportunity to present the country’s perspective on environmental responsibility at an international forum.
Her call for measurable progress by COP32 also highlighted the importance of translating environmental commitments into practical action.
The Global Zero Waste Alliance aims to encourage countries to prevent unnecessary waste, promote sustainable resource use, and develop long-term environmental solutions for future generations.
