The Zero Waste Movement, which started under the leadership of Emine Erdoğan and turned into a global environmental policy with the strong steps taken, meets with its international stakeholders in Istanbul. “1-7 June Istanbul Zero Waste Week”, organized under the coordination of the Zero Waste Foundation and under the auspices of the Governorship of Istanbul, started with a comprehensive event program. Zero Waste Festival enthusiasm will be experienced at Atatürk Airport for 4 days starting tomorrow.

Zero Waste Forum will be held in the same area between 5-7 June. More than 120 ministers, more than 200 mayors, 8 former ministers of state and senior figures of metropolitan cities from 183 countries will attend the forum. Events will be held within the scope of the Zero Waste Festival in 39 districts of the megacity. The activities aim to encourage permanent behavioral changes in reducing waste generation, disseminating conscious consumption habits and using resources more efficiently.

The main theme of the festival this year is “Energy Efficiency”. The festival, where participation is free, will include many activities, from sustainable living practices to circular economy examples, from virtual reality experiences to children’s workshops. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience environmental impacts thanks to carbon and water footprint measurement areas, a zero waste museum, training stands and applied workshops.

The festival aims to make environmental awareness a part of cultural life with concerts, art events and social activities. Sustainable gastronomy examples will be presented to visitors in practical activities to be held in the “Zero Waste Kitchen” area. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Governor of Istanbul Davut Gül and President of Zero Waste Foundation Samed Ağırbaş attended the launch meeting held in the festival area yesterday.

Minister Alparslan Bayraktar stated that all the electricity to be used during the Zero Waste Festival will be provided from renewable sources and said, “We will be the world’s first YEK-G, that is, renewable resource certified festival. We will bring the understanding of energy efficiency and zero waste to the society in all areas of life,” while Governor Gül said, “Our goal is to make Istanbul the capital of zero waste.”

60 THOUSAND TREES WERE SAVED, 40 BILLION LITERS OF WATER WERE PROTECTED

With the work carried out by Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality within the scope of the Zero Waste Movement, more than 60 thousand trees were prevented from being cut down, 40 billion liters of water were protected, and 60 percent of domestic waste was converted into energy. Environment Week activities in the district were held with the participation of students and teachers. In the program where awards were given to environmental ambassadors, the importance of zero waste and efforts to spread environmental awareness were shared.

COME ON YOUNG PEOPLE TO THE CONCERT

On the first day of the Zero Waste Festival, Rafet El Roman, on the second day, Sinan Akçıl and Emre Aydın, on the third day, Poizi and Sefo, and on the fourth day, Buray and Ceza will give a concert. Mehmet Kılınç-Enes Kılınç and Fungistanbul will also take the stage during the day.

The legal process regarding the ownership of the Basilica Cistern, one of the landmark structures remaining from the Byzantine period, has been concluded. The court ruled that the ownership of the historical building belongs to the General Directorate of Foundations, in accordance with the Foundations Law No. 5737, and decided that the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) should evacuate the cistern.

TRANSFER HAS BEEN DONE
IMM teams claimed that the location and square meter information on the island and parcel specified in the court decision belong to the area where the exit door of the Basilica Cistern is located. Thereupon, the General Directorate of Foundations and Fatih District Governorate teams continued the transfer process by entering through the exit door. IMM teams evacuated the historical cistern and handed it over to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism General Directorate of Foundations and Fatih District Governorship teams. Following the transfer, the General Directorate of Foundations will continue the processes regarding the ownership and management of the Basilica Cistern.

WILL BE OPENED AGAIN
The cistern, which was closed with the start of the transfer process, will be reopened to visitors after the completion of the counter procedures to be carried out by the General Directorate of Foundations. Local and foreign tourists who come to visit the Basilica Cistern will be directed to the Şerefiye Cistern until the opening.

In his speech at the “Three Generations of Turkey from Data to Vision” research findings sharing program held at Ankara Judge House, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş stated that they would share the results of the study they carried out in cooperation with the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) and the Institute Social, which will make you rethink what is known about the family.

Stating that they want to see how the preferences that guide family life are shaped not only by today’s conditions but also by the experiences transferred from generation to generation, with the “Comparative Examination of Marriage and Fertility from a Multidimensional Perspective: Research on Experiences, Perceptions and Plans”, Göktaş stated that they aim to read through the data how the idea of ​​marriage and having children resonates in different regions.

“INTERGENERATION RELATIONS ARE DIFFERENT”

Wishing that the study will be beneficial for Türkiye and families, Minister Göktaş said:

“A child’s sense of security, a young person’s search for direction, and the elderly’s pursuit of a peaceful life are primarily reciprocated within the family. The young and dynamic population is an integral part of this picture. Therefore, we cannot consider the family as just individual preferences and the population as a matter of numerical increase or decrease only. Because today, family structures are changing not only in Türkiye but also in many countries. Population balances are transforming, intergenerational relations are changing. The decrease in marriages, young people marrying later, postponing the decision to have children and the decrease in the fertility rate are now temporary trends. “These developments directly affect working life, social security system, national defense force, health and care services, production capacity and intergenerational solidarity.”

Reminding that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan drew attention to the risks faced by the family and dynamic population structure with a strong foresight many years ago, Göktaş said, “The point we have reached confirms how accurate it was for our President to see these risks as an existential threat. Today, we consider this warning as a historical responsibility that must be undertaken with the wisdom of state and a determined will. Strengthening the family, protecting our dynamic population, strategically related to the survival of our nation and the future of our state.” “We see it as a field.” he said.

Emphasizing that their work is based on their deep-rooted historical knowledge, policies shaped on scientific grounds and a management approach that focuses on people, Göktaş said, “Without a doubt, all the steps we have taken in recent years are the rings of our great civilizational march, rising on these principles, completing each other.” he said.

Göktaş said that they have opened the door to a new era in the Vision Document and Action Plan policies, which are a first for the protection and strengthening of the family, which they put into effect in 2024.

“WE PLACED THE FAMILY-FRIENDLY ECOSYSTEM AT THE CENTER OF PUBLIC POLICIES”

Göktaş stated that they carried their work to a strong inter-institutional coordination basis with the Population Policies Board and stated that they established the Family Institute to shape family and population policies with an approach that directly takes the field into account.

Göktaş continued his words as follows:

“In the Year of the Family 2025, we gave a strong impetus to our work. We organized nearly 20 thousand events during the Year of the Family. We implemented projects that touched our households. With the Family and Youth Fund, we turned it into a fruitful support that serves the peace of the homes that our young people will establish. We offered support to our growing families by restructuring our maternity supports. We allocated a special quota for our families with three or more children in TOKİ social housing. Our civil servants have no right to work part-time until their children reach primary school age. We have taken steps to expand the use of nurseries and child care centers in our public institutions and organizations. We have pioneered the work to extend post-natal maternity and paternity leave periods. We have implemented a comprehensive legal regulation to protect our children from the harmful effects of digital media. We have made our experience in this field more visible at the international level with the unique model we have developed. Our President’s 2026-2035 period ‘Family and Population 10′. “We have made the first steps of a long-term transformation by declaring it as the ’20th Year’. We have made the ideal of ‘Turkey rooted in the family, strengthened by the population, rising to the future’ as the main direction of the new era.”

Stating that they transformed family ties and intergenerational solidarity into a national ownership that strengthens Türkiye’s future with the National Family Week, Göktaş stated that they put forward their strategic policies surrounding the future of Türkiye with the “Family and Population Decade Vision Document”.

Stating that they have made Türkiye’s development and future vision one of the mainstream elements with their family and population policies, Göktaş said, “With this understanding, we have placed the family-friendly ecosystem at the center of public policies. Because we know this very well. No matter how strong the roof of our state is, it is the strong families that will keep that roof standing.” he said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan shared a post about his visit to Singapore on his NSosyal account.

Stating that they discussed Turkey-Singapore relations in all aspects during the contacts in Singapore, the first stop of the multi-legged visit program to the Asia-Pacific region, Fidan stated that in their meetings with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Singapore Minister of Internal Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam, they evaluated result-oriented steps that will further cooperation in a wide range of areas, especially economy, trade, investment, defense industry, security, digital transformation and connectivity.

Stating that they had a comprehensive exchange of views on regional and global issues, including developments in the Asia-Pacific and the situation in the Middle East, and emphasized the importance of resolving current crises through dialogue and diplomacy, Fidan noted that they shared their approaches to Türkiye’s foreign policy vision and the guiding role of diplomacy in the face of increasing global uncertainties at the event organized by the think tank “The International Institute for Strategic Studies” (IISS).

Minister Fidan evaluated: “We will continue to further develop our bilateral relations and close cooperation in international platforms with Singapore, which we see as a country of strategic importance in its region and beyond, in the coming period.”

HE ALSO EXPLAINED HIS JOB PROMISES

Yalım also explained how the “persuasion” process before the congress was managed. Yalım said, “The work was carried out from an election coordination center in Ankara Çankaya, from this center I personally called approximately 700 delegates and asked for support for Özgür Özel.” In his statement, he stated that he thought that the general coordinator of the coordination center was Veli Ağbaba and that Suat Özçağdaş was responsible for the Istanbul leg. Yalım admitted that a female delegate from Kahramanmaraş said that she would vote for Özgür Özel in exchange for her two children being employed in municipalities in Istanbul, and that she forwarded the CVs of these children to Suat Özçağdaş.

1 MILLION TL BLUE SUITCASE

One of Yalım’s most striking claims was about money traffic. Yalım said that Özgür Özel asked him for money for the congress expenses, so he handed over 1 million liras in cash to Demirhan Gözaçan to be put in the blue suitcase in Özel’s car in Denizli. Yalım added that the SSI records of the relatives of 1200 delegates should be examined to determine whether the relatives of the delegates were employed in the municipalities during the congress period.

Özcan, who took care of the nursing home residents one by one, kissed the hands of the elderly, congratulated them on their holidays and received their blessings. Özcan, who listened to the demands and suggestions of the nursing home residents during the visit, which took place in a friendly and warm environment, emphasized that elders are the most valuable values ​​of the society.

“You are very important for this state, for this nation. You are our crown jewel,” said Özcan, adding that the life experiences of senior citizens are an important guide for future generations.

Özcan, who chatted with the residents of the nursing home for a long time within the scope of the visit, stated that they would follow up on the requests submitted and said that the necessary work would be done to meet all requests within the framework of the law and legislation. Expressing that loyalty is not just a verbal concept, Özcan noted that elders should always be honored.

At the end of the program, flowers and various gifts were presented to the residents of the nursing home, and the residents of the nursing home expressed their satisfaction with the attention shown during the visit, where emotional moments were experienced.

Making evaluations after the visit, AK Party Ankara Provincial Chairman Hakan Han Özcan stated that the elderly are the memory and moral pillars of the society and used the following statements:

“If our children are our future and the apple of our eye, our elderly people are the light of our eyes that establish our connection with the past. Showing them the value and respect they deserve is the most basic measure of our humanity. While receiving the blessings of our centuries-old plane trees who have shaped their remaining lives with patience, labor and insight, we also create a meaningful bond between our past and present. May God Almighty grant them a healthy and long life.”
Emphasizing that important steps have been taken in the field of elderly care services in Türkiye in recent years, Özcan also explained the scope of the services offered by the state for elderly citizens.

“Today, we provide compassionate service to nearly 30 thousand elderly people in more than 400 nursing homes belonging to the public, private sector and foundations throughout our country. While more than 5 thousand citizens benefit from the nursing homes affiliated with our Ministry free of charge, we also host hundreds of elderly people in our historical plane tree, Darülaceze.”

Emphasizing that important steps have been taken in the field of elderly care services in Türkiye in recent years, Özcan also explained the scope of the services offered by the state for elderly citizens.

“When we refresh our memories, before the AK Party, our elderly were suffering among divided structures such as SSK, Bağ-Kur and Emekli Sandığı. Gone are the days when long queues in hospital corridors and our elderly with SSK could not even buy medicine from free pharmacies or go to university and private hospitals. With the ‘Common Health Security reforms’ that we have implemented since 2004, we put an end to those painful queues in hospitals; we paved the way for all our elders to have equal, unimpeded and easy access to their medicines and health services. “We opened it.”

Reminding President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s words, “We came to serve this nation,” Özcan continued his words as follows:

“Because at the center of the AK Party there are people, there is family, there is mercy, there is conscience, there is compassion and there is brotherhood. This holistic management approach brings with it a high-level service vision in raising the living standards of our valuable elders, as in every field. We have determinedly implemented numerous projects in a wide range from social facilities to basic living conditions to home care services, ensuring that our century-old plane trees remain at the center of social life. In our service philosophy, respect is not just a feeling; it is a thing that turns into action, a project and a permanent prosperity. It is our vision. We will continue to make the lives of our elders easier and offer them the comfortable life they deserve.”