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The Zero Waste Forum, to be held at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport from June 5 to 7, will be the world’s largest civil environmental summit, bringing together ministers, mayors, academics, and international institutions from over 180 countries.
The Zero Waste Foundation will organize the forum with the United Nations as one of the main partners. The event will focus on sustainable development, circular economy, resource efficiency, and how zero-waste policies can help address the climate crisis. At the end, representatives from over 180 countries will sign a closing declaration.
The event is expected to draw over 5,000 participants, including more than 120 ministers and over 200 mayors from major cities around the world.
Samed Agirbas, Chair of the Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 High-Level Climate Champion, called it the largest civil gathering on environmental and zero-waste issues.
He pointed out that ministerial attendance will surpass the 72 officials who participated in last year’s U.N. Climate Conference.
The World Bank will send a 30-person delegation—one of its largest ever for a single event. The group will take part in technical sessions and policy consultations.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is also a main partner. According to the organizers, this partnership is a first for a civil-society-led event.
Harvard, Oxford, and Yale are among the main academic partners, offering scientific and technical support for the forum’s sessions.
The three-day program will feature three main ministerial panels. The Energy and Natural Resources Ministers' Session will look at the future of energy policy.
The Agriculture and Forestry Ministers' Session will discuss zero-waste approaches in food systems and the management of natural resources.
The Industry and Technology Ministers' Session will focus on redesigning production processes and adopting new technologies.
Agirbas said zero-waste topics are now on the official agenda for COP31, which will take place in Antalya, Türkiye, in November. He explained that the forum will help prepare for those talks, and the results from the sessions will be used in COP31 discussions.
The forum also wants to highlight voices from underrepresented communities. Organizers said that 10 young people from Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi, will attend to share their experiences with the international audience.
Lara van Druten, CEO of Waste Transformers in the Netherlands and a member of the U.N. Zero Waste Advisory Board, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that waste and water systems are closely linked.
She pointed out that 40% of all food worldwide is wasted, and that one in 11 people goes to bed hungry. She added that the water used to produce this wasted food equals three times the volume of Lake Geneva each year.
Henk Ovink, chair of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) board and executive director of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, said that water security is under threat from both human activity and climate change.
He urged that water commitments made at COP31 should be carried forward to the U.N. Water Conference. He also encouraged stakeholders to reconsider how solutions are tested and measured to help build a more resilient future.
The forum is open to everyone. People can register for free and find event details at sifiratikfestivali.org or through the event’s mobile app. The venue can be reached by public transport or by car.
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