The Zero Waste Movement started on September 27, 2017, under the auspices of First Lady Erdoğan. The project, which was carried out under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and turned into a global environmental movement, saved money in many areas from the environment to energy, from greenhouse gas emissions to storage space, and invested in both the economy and the future. Türkiye aims to increase the recovery rate to 60 percent in 2035. The project turned into a global movement with March 30 International Zero Waste Day, which was declared by the UN on December 14, 2022, under the leadership of Türkiye and the support of 105 countries.

ZERO WASTE FORUM
Zero Waste Foundation President Samed Ağırbaş emphasized that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has a special vision for Istanbul and said, “Erdoğan wants to make this city a center of the United Nations (UN). Under the leadership of Emine Erdoğan, we want to follow this vision in the context of zero waste and environment. In this context, we aim for more than 10 international organizations to open their offices in Istanbul, where they will carry out zero waste activities, in the next 5 years.” Ağırbaş said that the Zero Waste Movement has now crossed continents and that they see the positive contribution of this movement to the world in almost every country. “We are organizing the Zero Waste Forum at Atatürk Airport on 5-7 June. More than 150 countries will participate there and we expect more than 5 thousand participants. It is the world’s largest civil environment and zero waste event.” he said. Explaining that as of today, more than 200 mayors from around the world will be at the Zero Waste Forum, Ağırbaş said, “We will talk about zero waste practices with local government and private sector representatives there.” “As a foundation, under the leadership of Emine Erdoğan, we have offered a platform to all environmental organizations in the world where they can discuss freely and express their ideas freely,” he said.

Following Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek’s statement, “No file is left unattended. No suspicious case will be left to be forgotten. Murders that remain dark will be investigated in unsolved cases.” This provided new hope for the family of Eser Binen (36), who was killed in an armed attack with three other people in the cemetery in Adana in 2017, and whose perpetrators have not been found to date. Zeliha Binen (67), a mother of two children, who said that she has been crying for her son for 9 years, said, “I was very happy when my daughter said that the unsolved perpetrators’ files would be reopened. Our file should also be reopened. My son’s blood should not be left untouched. My work was working in Saudi Arabia, we were going to engage my child, but they took it away from us. We do not know who killed my child and why,” she shed tears. Sister Yasemin Taş (49) said, “Just as the murder of Gülistan Doku was brought to light, my brother’s murder and the deaths of other people will also be brought to light. We have great confidence in our minister of justice.”

THEY WERE KILLED IN THE CEMETERY

The incident took place on January 26, 2017 in the Alihocalı District cemetery of Yüreğir District. The cemetery officer called the police when he saw a person lying motionless next to his car with plate number 01 ERG 36. The teams came to the car that crashed into a pole in the cemetery and came across three male bodies, one inside the vehicle, one next to the door, and one 10 meters away. It was determined that the people who died in the attack with Kalashnikovs and pistols were body and paint master Eser Binen, auto body master Ufuk Altun and Refik Bingül. 25 Kalashnikovs and nearly 100 pistol bullets were found at the scene. No positive results were obtained in the efforts made by the police forces so far and the case was shelved as the perpetrator remains unsolved.

MY BABY WEARS A SHROUD INSTEAD OF A GROOM’S DRESS

Following the clarification of the Gülistan Doku murder after 6 years, the Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek stated that they have maximized the institutional capacity to clarify the unsolved files and said, “No file is abandoned. No suspicious case will be left to be forgotten. Murders that remain dark will be investigated in the unsolved files.” This gave hope to Eser Binen’s family. Zeliha Binen, who shed tears while looking at her son’s photos, said, “Let the murder that has been left in the dark for 9 years be brought to light. I was going to my son’s grave every day. I can no longer move because of my illness. I am bedridden. I look at my son’s photo and fall asleep crying. In the morning, I cannot even look at the photo because of my shame because my son’s blood is on the ground. I now ask the Minister to find the murderers of my son. My son was very clean. He came from Saudi Arabia on leave. We were going to do his engagement ceremony, but we were going to hold him off.” “They took him. I was going to marry him. My son wore a shroud instead of a groom’s suit. I can’t understand how a murder involving 25 Kalashnikovs and nearly a hundred gun cases is still unsolved. We don’t know why my son was killed. Let’s look at our file again.”

Yasin Şahin, who disappeared while playing in front of their house when he was 6 years old in Akören district of Konya, could not be traced for 10 years. The Ministry of Justice’s re-examination of 638 unsolved cases in 75 provinces revived the hopes of the Şahin family. Father Yavuz Şahin said, “The statements of our Minister of Justice brought joy to our hearts. After 10 years, our hopes have blossomed. I want whatever happened to my child, whoever did what, to be revealed. We are with our Minister until the end.”

Yasin, the kindergarten student son of Yavuz and Ümmü Şahin couple living in Belkuyu District of Akören district, disappeared while playing in front of their house on April 4, 2016. Even though specially trained tracking dogs, unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters were searched for days for Yasin, who disappeared after hanging his bag on the wall of their house, no results were obtained. The work of special teams also

WE SIDE WITH OUR MINISTER OF JUSTICE
Father Yavuz Şahin welcomed the Ministry of Justice’s re-examination of 638 unsolved files, in which the names of 693 victims were mentioned in 75 provinces. Stating that they were happy with the determination of the Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, Şahin said, “After these statements, our hopes grew again, especially after the Gülistan Doku incident was solved. After 10 years, we now have something to hold on to. I am sure that whatever happened to my child, whoever did whatever to him, will be revealed.” he said.

CHP Konya Provincial Organization recently dismissed the district youth branch presidents and their management without giving a reason. Thereupon, young CHP members who went to the provincial building and chanted “Management resign” slogans booed the administration. The young people also left a gravestone in front of the building. Reacting to the decision, CHP Konya Deputy Barış Bektaş said: “Dismissals are clearly a usurpation of will. It is incompatible with democracy, organizational culture and political morality. At a time when our party needs the feelings of unity and solidarity more than ever, I see that common sense has been replaced by personal ambitions. It has now reached an undeniable point that this ambition harms not only individuals but also our common struggle.”

CHP 36th Term Party Assembly member and former District Chairman Bülent Ecevit Tatlıdil said, “Whoever suggested to our Headquarters and took part in this decision, their aim is not to grow and unify the party, but to establish a structure in which they can play. Even the district presidents are not aware of the decision. Youth branches can only go through elections. Those who see themselves in the giant mirror, remember that those seats are not permanent for you.”

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş announced important regulations in Türkiye’s social policies in the A Haber live broadcast. Stating that the maternity leave awaited by millions has been increased to 24 weeks for mothers, Göktaş announced that mothers whose leave continues as of April 1 will also benefit from this right. Emphasizing that paternity leave has been increased from 5 days to 10 days, Göktaş heralded that maternity benefits will no longer be a one-time payment, but will be made in the form of monthly payments until the child turns 5.

MODEL SPECIFIC TO Türkiye
Referring to the work carried out to ensure the safety of children in the digital world, Minister Göktaş said, “Social media regulation for children under the age of 15 has been expected for a long time. In this context, while we impose control on those under the age of 15, we also impose the obligation to provide separated content for our young people between the ages of 15-18.” Touching on the technical details of the regulation, Göktaş said: “We will carry out age verification through the e-Government portal, with a model specific to our country, so that our children’s data will be protected within our own organization without going abroad.” Explaining the latest situation after the tragic school attack in Kahramanmaraş, Göktaş said: “From the moment the incident occurred, we went to the field with 256 personnel. We established direct contact with 3,160 families by establishing a monitoring system not only on a case-based basis but also on a household basis. We have initiated the grief counseling process, especially for our citizens who have lost a child or parent, and we will continue it with determination.”

AK PARTY CAME TO POWER ALONE: When the Constitutional Court canceled the first round of voting on May 1, an early election decision was made. In the elections held on July 22, 2007, the AK Party came to power once again with 46.6 percent of the votes. The subsequent constitutional amendment paved the way for the president to be elected by the people.

THE 367 CRISIS WAS OVERCOME WITH THE SUPPORT OF MHP: The 367 crisis was overcome with MHP’s participation in the sessions during the renewed election process in the Parliament, and Abdullah Gül was elected as the 11th President of Türkiye on 28 August 2007. The controversial declaration was removed from the General Staff’s website in 2011.

POLITICS STANDED UP AGAINST GUARDIANNESS
The AK Party government gave a clear response to this undemocratic intervention in the April 27 e-memorandum, which is remembered as a dark stain in the history of Turkish democracy. In his statement on April 28, 2007, the then Government Spokesperson challenged the tutelage centers by saying, “It is never acceptable in a democratic state of law for the General Staff, an institution reporting to the Prime Minister, to use a statement against the government.” The upright stance of politics once again demonstrated Türkiye’s democratic maturity.