United Nations in Turkey

The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Turkey:

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06 July 2020

Pause before sharing, to help stop viral spread of COVID-19 misinformation

That’s the latest message from the United Nations’ Verified initiative, which wants people around the world to pause before sharing emotionally charged content on social media. “One of the ways it [misinformation] is spreading is the way people are sharing”, Melissa Fleming, who oversees the UN’s global communications effort, said on the eve of the Pause campaign’s launch, chosen to coincide with Social Media Day. “The idea of pause is: take care before you share. We hope that ‘take care before you share’, starts to be a social norm that people have in the back of their heads and that will enable a personal behavior change.” The Pause campaign consists of videos, graphics and colourful gifs that stress sharing only trusted and accurate science-based social media content. It is meant to get people thinking about misinformation, which is often packaged as being “more slick, more shareable” and full of “black and white statements that people who communicate responsibly, and rely on science, would not do because we have to communicate nuance”, Ms. Fleming said. She noted that, for example, anti-vaccine groups are already coming out against a future COVID-19 vaccine. Through Verified, the UN has recruited so called “digital first responders” to counter fake news. These responders – of whom there are more than 10,000 signed up for the daily and weekly feeds – range from fact checkers in Colombia, to young journalists in the United Kingdom, and the number signing up is growing at a rate of about 10 per cent per week, according to the UN’s Department for Global Communications. The campaign also has the support of most of the countries that make up the UN. Spearheaded by Latvia, some two-thirds of the 193 UN Member States put out a statement on 12 June, countering the proliferation of widespread misinformation, in the context of COVID-19. "We are... concerned about the damage caused by the deliberate creation and circulation of false or manipulated information relating to the pandemic. We call on countries to take steps to counter the spread of such disinformation, in an objective manner and with due respect for citizens’ freedom of expression,” the statement reads. A number of large media companies around the world are also distributing Pause content on their channels, online and via text message. The aim is to help stem the spread of inaccurate information about COVID-19 on social media, Ms. Fleming said, stressing that only platforms like Facebook or Twitter can truly stop the viral spread of fake news. “We also need the platforms to work with us”, she said, adding that the UN is “in conversation” with such technology companies. Many social media platforms have committed to promoting Pause, while also scaling up their efforts to halt the circulation of misinformation.

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24 September 2021

Food’s a human right, not just ‘a commodity to be traded’: Guterres

Every day, hundreds of millions of people go to bed hungry. Three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Two billion are overweight or obese and yet 462 million, are underweight. Nearly a third of all food that is produced, is lost or wasted. These are just some of the problems and contradictions laid bare by the UN Secretary-General on Thursday at the opening of the landmark UN Food Systems Summit, that is bringing together farmers and fishers, youth, Indigenous Peoples, Heads of State, governments and many more, in an effort to transform the sector and get the world back on track to achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. For António Guterres, “change in food systems is not only possible, it is necessary”; for the people, for the planet and for prosperity. The UN chief warned, though, that COVID-19 has made the challenge much greater. The pandemic has deepened inequalities, decimated economies, plunged millions into extreme poverty and raised the spectre of famine in a growing number of countries. At the same time, Mr. Guterres said, the world is “waging a war against nature and reaping the bitter harvest”, with ruined crops, dwindling incomes and failing food systems. Food systems also generate one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions, he added. And they’re responsible for up to 80 per cent of biodiversity loss. Solutions Over the last 18 months, through national dialogues, governments gathered businesses, communities and civil society to chart pathways for the future of food systems across 148 countries. Over 100,000 people came together to discuss and debate solutions. From those discussions, came many proposals. Mr. Guterres chose to highlight three key areas of action. Support health and well-being First, there’s a need for food systems that support the health and well-being of all people. Recalling that nutritious and diverse diets are often too costly or inaccessible, Mr. Guterres said he is pleased to see many Member States rallying around universal access to nutritious meals in schools. Protect the planet Second, he argued that the world needs food systems that protect the planet. “It is possible to feed a growing global population while also safeguarding our environment. And it takes countries coming to COP26 in Glasgow with bold, targeted plans to keep the promise of the Paris Agreement,” he said. “The war on our planet must end, and food systems can help us build that peace.” Support prosperity Third, and finally, food systems need to support prosperity. “Not just the prosperity of businesses and shareholders. But the prosperity of farmers and food workers, and indeed, the billions of people worldwide who depend on this industry for their livelihoods,” argued the UN chief. Highlighting the selfless workers who have toiled in the fields and transported food during the deadly pandemic, he said “these women and men have been the unsung heroes of the last 18 months.” Despite that, “too often, these workers are underpaid, even exploited.”

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22 September 2021

Restore trust and inspire hope, UN chief says in message to UNGA76

With humanity on the edge of an abyss, and moving in the wrong direction, the world must wake up, Secretary-General António Guterres said in his keynote address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Outlining six “Great Divides” that must be bridged now, he called for greater action in areas such as climate policy, gender equality and closing the gap between rich and poor. “This is our time. A moment for transformation. An era to re-ignite multilateralism. An age of possibilities,” the Secretary-General told world leaders and ambassadors. “Let us restore trust. Let us inspire hope. And let us start right now.” COVID-19 ‘moral indictment’ Amid “the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes” - which include the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, and upheaval in places such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Yemen - Mr. Guterres singled out one disturbing image as indicative of the present moment, citing “the picture we have seen from some parts of the world of COVID-19 vaccines…in the garbage. Expired and unused”. “On the one hand, we see the vaccines developed in record time - a victory of science and human ingenuity. On the other hand, we see that triumph undone by the tragedy of a lack of political will, selfishness and mistrust.” For the Secretary-General, the fact that most wealthier countries are vaccinated, while more than 90 per cent of Africans are still awaiting their first dose, was “a moral indictment of the state of our world” and “an obscenity”. Core values in the crosshairs While the pandemic and the climate crisis have exposed profound fragilities, countries have shunned solidarity and are instead pursuing what Mr. Guterres described as “a dead end to destruction.” Additionally, people are at risk of losing faith not only in their governments, but in UN values such as peace, human rights, dignity for all, equality, justice and solidarity. “Like never before, core values are in the crosshairs,” he said. “A breakdown in trust is leading to a breakdown in values. Promises, after all, are worthless if people do not see results in their daily lives.” Bridging the ‘Great Divides’ Stating that “now is the time to deliver”, and also to restore trust and inspire hope, the UN chief stressed that these problems can be solved. He listed six “Great Divides”, or “Grand Canyons”, that must be bridged, starting with achieving peace. “For far too many around the world, peace and stability remain a distant dream,” he said, pointing to places such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Syria, and the Sahel region in Africa. “We are also seeing an explosion in seizures of power by force,” he continued, adding that “military coups are back.” Additionally, lack of international unity is another hindrance, with geopolitical divisions “undermining international cooperation and limiting the capacity of the Security Council to take the necessary decisions.” The fact that the world’s two largest economies are at odds represents another concern, making it impossible to address “dramatic economic and development challenges.” The Secretary-General called for cooperation, dialogue and understanding to restore trust and inspire hope among nations, and for investment in prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. ‘Obligation to act’ over climate Bridging the climate divide will require bridging trust between the North and South, he said, underscoring the need for success at the COP26 UN climate conference in Glasgow, which starts on 31 October. Countries need to show more ambition in the key areas of mitigation, finance and adaptation, which includes committing to carbon neutrality by 2050, and providing the $100 billion annually promised a decade ago, to support developing nations. “My message to every Member State is this: Don’t wait for others to make the first move. Do your part,” he said, urging governments to shift to the green economy through steps such as taxing carbon, ending subsidies to fossil fuels and committing to no new coal power plants. “This is a planetary emergency. We need coalitions of solidarity - between countries that still depend heavily on coal, and countries that have the financial and technical resources to support their transition. We have the opportunity and obligation to act.” Global vaccine plan Ending the pandemic for everyone, everywhere, is the first step in bridging the gap between rich and poor, said Mr. Guterres. He underlined the need for a global vaccine plan to reach 70 per cent of the world’s population by mid-2022, through at least doubling present production capacity. “We have no time to lose,” he said. “A lopsided recovery is deepening inequalities. Richer countries could reach pre-pandemic growth rates by the end of this year while the impacts may last for years in low-income countries.” While welcoming the recent allocation by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of $650 billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), a type of foreign reserve asset, he regretted that they were mainly going to countries that need them least. The Secretary-General advised richer economies to reallocate their surplus SDRs to countries in need, and renewed his call for debt suspension to be extended to 2022, calling it “solidarity in action.” ‘Bold steps’ for gender equality The pandemic has also exposed and amplified the power imbalance between men and women: “the world’s most enduring injustice”, according to the UN chief. “Bridging the gender divide is not only a matter of justice for women and girls. It’s a game-changer for humanity,” he stated. “Women’s equality is essentially a question of power. We must urgently transform our male-dominated world and shift the balance of power, to solve the most challenging problems of our age.” This transformation would see more women leaders in government and business, and women’s full representation everywhere. He called for “bold steps” in implementing quotas and benchmarks for gender parity. “At the same time, we need to push back against regressive laws that institutionalize gender discrimination. Women’s rights are human rights,” he added. “Economic recovery plans should focus on women, including through large-scale investments in the care economy. And we need an emergency plan to fight gender-based violence in every country.” Digital technology dangers Restoring trust and inspiring hope means bridging the digital divide, he continued, noting that half the planet still does not have access to the internet. However, given the growing reach of digital platforms, and the use and abuse of data, the Secretary-General also pointed to the perils of digital connectivity. “A vast library of information is being assembled about each of us. Yet we don’t even have the keys to that library. We don’t know how this information has been collected, by whom or for what purposes. But we do know our data is being used commercially - to boost corporate profits,” he said. Mr. Guterres underlined the need for serious discussion over these and other related technological issues, such as the use of autonomous weapons, which he said must be banned. Close the generation gap The final bridge to mend is the generational gap with young people who will inherit the consequences of decisions made today, whether good or bad. However, he stressed that young people need more than support, they need “a seat at the table”, which has prompted the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Envoy for Future Generations and a UN Youth Office. Mr. Guterres cited recent research which revealed that the majority of young people in 10 countries surveyed, are suffering from high levels of anxiety and distress over the state of the planet. Furthermore, some 60 per cent of future voters worldwide feel betrayed by their governments. "Young people need a vision of hope for the future,” he said. “We must prove to children and young people that despite the seriousness of the situation, the world has a plan - and governments are committed to implementing it. We need to act now to bridge the Great Divides and save humanity and the planet.”

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14 September 2021

In the words of Sibel Sultan Garip: “Giving a hand to other women and helping them to feel meaningful fulfils me”

Sibel Sultan Garip is from Syria. In March 2013, she moved to Gaziantep, a south-eastern city of Turkey which is densely populated with Syrians who have escaped the civil war in their country. The 24-year-old got married when she was only 16 years old. She now has three children. Up until visiting the Foundation for the Support of Women's Work (KEDV) in 2019, Garip had not been working and she was looking after her children. This made her feel that she was not reaching her potential and that she had no direction in life. Having been inspired by the Home to Home Solidarity Programme that is funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UN Women in partnership by KEDV, she decided to give her life a new direction. “At KEDV, I saw that women were benefitting from activities that help them learn new things that were different from childcare, which was the only thing that my life was about. Women were always helping each other to deal with various issues and I wanted to join their efforts. I started to participate in their activities voluntarily. About nine months later, I became a community leader through the training I received. Currently, I am a trained community leader and I am also studying early childhood education to take better charge of the playroom and kids. Community leadership has allowed me to gain the respect of others. Before KEDV, life was all about taking care of my children. I am still looking after my children but I am now doing other meaningful things. For example, I can both look after my children and make a career, which before seemed like only other powerful women, with specific educational background, could do. While our children play and spend time here in safety, we organize our events, strengthen solidarity and grow together. I want to remind other women that there are no obstacles in front of us. A woman can do whatever she wants. When we show love, respect and solidarity, we can overcome all the obstacles. I want to let women know that communication is very important. If they have a problem, we can fix it, as long as we communicate. For me to be able to speak Turkish is a great thing because language is such an important tool to overcome barriers. My language skills helped me build better relationships with local women and it contributed to building social cohesion between us. The fact that I have my husband’s support makes me feel relieved because I do not want to be a woman who is only looking after her children. Although I greatly care about my children, I do not regard childcare as the most important responsibility of a woman.”

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13 September 2021

Building bridges between refugees and host communities

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a webinar on volunteerism in Turkey, with the support of national UN Volunteers. The event brought together 120 Turkish and Syrian young people to discuss opportunities to contribute to the greater good through volunteering. The event was part of a project funded by Japan and implemented with the Ministry of Youth and Sports aimed at improving life prospects for young Syrian refugees and their Turkish peers. Young people make up half of the 3.7 million Syrian refugees under temporary protection in Turkey. Webinar participants learned about the youth centres that the Ministry of Youth and Sports operates in all 81 provinces of Turkey. “Our aim is to make young people more aware of local and universal problems and encourage them to be part of the solution,” explained Seda Akyürek, İpekyolu District Youth Centre Manager. Participants heard about volunteering from national UN Youth Volunteers. Six of these currently serve in different cities of Turkey as project assistants namely Mr Ozan Karaçam, Ms Hazal Bölerek, Mr Yaman Gonen, Ms Tuğba Toplama, Mr Mehmet Emin Cetin, Ms Ayşe İlke Gürbüzer (pictured from left to right above). Tuğba Toplama assists the Project Team in Istanbul. Like other UN Volunteers, she helps in organizing training and social cohesion activities. The most thrilling aspect of being a UN Youth Volunteer is to see hope, joy and the happy faces of Turkish and Syrian participants. --Tuğba Toplama, Youth UN Volunteer Ozan Karaçam, Project Assistant in Ankara, shares an experience that inspired him. During a social cohesion training in 2020, one of the Syrian participants who did not speak Turkish shared a message in Turklish on their WhatsApp group which read "good morning; it is better to live with hope". The most significant thing is to witness vividly how the gap between Syrian and Turkish young people is shrinking. Turkish and Syrian young people who have been participating in our training are treating each other in a friendly way. --Ozan Karaçam, UN Youth Volunteer The webinar was held online, however, participants had ample opportunity to engage firsthand in volunteer work. Eight volunteer activities organized in five provinces in June and July 2021 helped 286 young people to forge new friendships and learn new skills. Working through the youth centres in Ankara, Bursa, Istanbul, Kocaeli and Şanlıurfa, UNDP Turkey brought together mixed groups of Turkish and Syrian young people to plant trees, paint village schools, set up libraries and prepare food containers for street animals. Participants said the activities helped them gain self-confidence and feel more comfortable in exploring different cultures. Volunteering softens the heart and increases compassion. --Arif Muştu, Director of Volunteer Management, Turkish Red Crescent Society UNDP’s efforts to promote volunteering are part of a larger project on the employability, entrepreneurship and social cohesion for Syrian and Turkish youth. In addition to activities aimed at overcoming war trauma and promoting social cohesion, Syrian and Turkish young people will have opportunities to learn job skills and receive entrepreneurship training. Grant support and focused mentoring to the tune US $350,000 will be provided to 70 young entrepreneurs. UNDP has already set up computer labs in 30 youth centres in nine provinces. By engaging those furthest behind, volunteering can bring us closer to the Sustainable Development Goals. --Nil Memişoğlu, UNV Country Coordinator, Turkey

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07 September 2021

National Dialogues Workshop on Sustainable Food Systems held in Turkey

A National Dialogues Workshop on Sustainable Food Systems towards the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals was held in Turkey today. More than 130 participants representing the public sector, private sector, academia, civil society, and business organizations attended the virtual workshop organized by National Dialogue Convenor Office in Turkey with the support of the UN Turkey Resident Coordinator’s Office and UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Secretariat. Speaking at the opening of the workhop UN Turkey Officer in Charge Alvaro Rodriguez said he is confident that the workshop’s dialogue will present an excellent platform to exchange experiences and create synergies on how Turkey can transform its food systems in a sustainable way. “The UN Food Systems Summit has an ambitious vision” stated Rodriguez and continued: “It aims to launch bold new actions, solutions, and strategies to deliver progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), each of which relies on healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable food systems. The Summit aims to re-orient the world to the fact that we all must work together to transform the way the world produces and consumes food.” “Sustainable food systems don’t just help to end hunger. If planned strategically, they can help the world achieve significant progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In COVID-19 era, the role of the sustainable food systems in building back better efforts is also critical” emphasized UN Turkey Officer in Charge. Aylin Çağlayan Özcan who has been managing Turkey’s national dialog process emphasized that Turkey started work on transforming and improving food systems early on. The first report on the matter was prepared in 2019 she said. Özcan stated that Turkey also participated in the UNFSS pre-summit held in July. Özcan said the Workshop is important since it would contribute to the National Road Map of Turkey for transforming the food systems. Speaking at the opening Viorel Gutu Sub-Regional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Turkey reminded that even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global community was not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. “Since the crisis, the situation has worsened; the achievement of global nutrition targets under the SDGs to curb the rise of hunger and malnutrition is not presently within our grasp” he said. Gutu gave the latest statistics on hunger, malnutrition and food security. In 2020, 811 million people were hungry, nearly 2.37 billion people were unable to access adequate food, and around 3 billion people were unable to access healthy diets. Gutu emphasized the importance of stakeholder engagement. “I believe that our dialogue with different stakeholders of the agri-food sector will contribute to achieving resilient, climate smart, environment friendly and egalitarian agri-food systems in the future” he concluded. Dr. David Nabarro, who oversees the ambitious Food Systems Summit Dialogues process also spoke at the opening of the Workshop. Emphasizing the importance of dialogues for food systems transformation Nabarro said Turkey has done remarkably well in getting strong involvement of different stakeholders in the dialogue process. “Turkey is one of the most inspiring countries in preparation of the UNFSS” he said. Under the leadership of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the UN Food Systems Summit will take place on Thursday, 23 September 2021. It will be a completely virtual event during the UN General Assembly High-level Week.

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Press Release

01 September 2021

All schools in Europe & Central Asia should remain open and made safer from COVID-19, say WHO and UNICEF

COPENHAGEN/GENEVA – As millions of school children return to school across the European Region where the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant is dominant, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office call for schools to stay open and made safer by adopting measures to minimise transmission of the virus. These measures include offering teachers and other school staff the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the target population groups in national vaccination plans, while ensuring vaccination of vulnerable populations. In addition, children aged 12 years and above who have underlying medical conditions that significantly increase their risk for put that at greater risk of severe COVID-19 disease must be vaccinated; improvements to the school environment through better classroom ventilation, smaller class sizes where possible, physical distancing and regular testing of children and staff, are other important actions. “The pandemic has caused the most catastrophic disruption to education in history. It is therefore vital that classroom-based learning continues uninterrupted across the European Region. This is of paramount importance for children’s education, mental health, and social skills, for schools to help equip our children to be happy and productive members of society”, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe explains. “It will be some time before we can put the pandemic behind us but educating children safely in a physical school setting must remain our primary objective, so we don't rob them of the opportunities they so deserve. We encourage all countries to keep schools open and urge all schools to put in place measures to minimize the risk of COVID-19 and the spread of different variants.” Scaling up vaccination to protect from the Delta variant The highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant has added an additional layer of concern and complication to this year’s school opening season. The high incidence of COVID-19 in the community makes transmission in schools much more likely. Therefore, we must all commit to reducing the transmission of the virus. Data clearly shows that receiving a full COVID-19 vaccination series significantly reduces the risk of severe disease and death. Therefore, when called to take the vaccine please do so and make sure you complete the full vaccine dose series. “Vaccination is our best line of defence against the virus, and for the pandemic to end we must rapidly scale up vaccinations fairly in all countries, including supporting vaccine production and sharing of doses, to protect the most vulnerable, everywhere. We must also continue to follow the public health and social measures we know work, including testing, sequencing, tracing, isolation and quarantine,” Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge said. Making schools safer is a whole-of-society responsibility Milena Maric is a high school mathematics teacher from Belgrade, Serbia, who has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. She said, “For almost two years, the words ‘COVID-19’ and ‘online schooling’ have marked our lives. When the pandemic started, the school system in Serbia adapted rapidly. “But the students lacked continuity, socializing, collaborative work, the sharing of ideas in real-time, communication without technology. I know that the only way out of this situation is if we keep respecting measures to prevent the transmission of the virus and if we vaccinate all educators.” Philippe Cori, Deputy Regional Director, from UNICEF Europe and Central Asia said, “The pandemic is not over. We all have a part to play to ensure that schools remain open across the Region. Children and youth cannot risk having another year of disrupted learning. Vaccination and protective measures together will help prevent a return to the darkest days of the pandemic when people had to endure lockdowns and children had to experience disruption of learning. “Children have been the silent victims of the pandemic, and the most marginalized have been amongst the hardest hit. Prior to COVID-19, the Region’s most vulnerable children were already out-of-school, or in school, but not learning at the same level as their classmates. “A school is so much more than a building. It's a place of learning, safety, and play at the heart of our communities. When they are closed, children, miss out on learning, being with their friends and may be exposed to violence in the home. The pandemic worsened an already unacceptable situation - we must ensure that schools reopen, and they stay open safely.” Expert recommendations To help keep schools open and safe, WHO, UNICEF, and UNESCO have endorsed a set of eight expert recommendations developed by the WHO European Technical Advisory group for schooling during COVID-19. For use by the 53 Member States in the WHO European Region they are: Schools to be among the last places to close and the first to re-open. Put in place a testing strategy. Ensure effective risk-mitigation measures. Protect children’s mental and social well-being. Protect the most vulnerable and marginalized children. Improve the school environment. Involve children & adolescents in decision-making. Implement a vaccination strategy designed to keep children in school.

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Press Release

04 August 2021

Trainings to tackle food waste continue in Turkey

3 August 2021, Ankara, Turkey – Each year over 1.3 billion tonnes of food produced worldwide is lost or wasted. Furthermore, the volume of wasted food is increasing in line with the growing world population. According to the United Nations, the global population is expected to exceed 9.7 billion by 2050, with food demand expected to increase by up to 60 percent over the same period, making food security a pressing issue. Food requires land, water, seeds, sunlight, labour and energy to grow. Letting food go to waste is a reckless use of these natural resources and increases costs and food prices as well as weakening the food supply chain. With the aim of curbing food loss and waste, FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey are jointly running a national campaign called “Save Your Food”. Using Turkey’s first National Strategy and Action Plan on the Prevention and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste as a basis, the campaign presents a list of actions to be addressed by a broad range of stakeholders, including the public and private sectors, academia and NGOs. Capacity building among food system actors, including end consumers and those involved in waste management, accounts for a significant proportion of initiatives designed to tackle food loss and waste along the food supply chain. To contribute to improvements in this area, FAO has started giving training on the prevention and reduction of food loss and waste to various actors, including but not limited to food retailers, providers and entrepreneurs. Initial training sessions were provided to a select number of food entrepreneurs as part of the FikrimİZ Food Entrepreneurship Programme, which is jointly run by International Development Management (IDEMA) and the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. The programme aimed to identify and support potential food entrepreneurships as a business concept, and included workshops on food literacy, sustainable nutrition, business development, food security and local production. As part of the food security training, FAO National Value Chain Consultant Aslıhan Denge informed participants about the causes and impacts of food loss and waste, and advised them on measurement, reduction and solution methods to help them become waste conscious food producers. Denge also participated as a jury member of a business pitch panel organized at the end of the programme, evaluating entrepreneurship ideas against standards of sustainable production and consumption within the framework of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3, which demands that food loss and waste be halved worldwide by 2030. Because they offer food directly to end consumers, retailers have a significant impact on the supply chain. Two years ago, the world’s largest food retailers and providers signed a new initiative, entitled “10x20x30”, to engage their supply chains in tackling food loss and waste. Initiated by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the initiative began with ten of the world’s major food retailers, including Migros, the first Turkish retailer, along with its 23 volunteer suppliers, to commit to cutting food waste by 2030. Through the initiative, Migros has successfully reduced food waste rates by 24 percent over two years as a result of operational improvements, ongoing training of suppliers, an automatic ordering system, innovative packaging systems that extend food life, and food donations. However, the key to the success of the initiative is spreading the impact across the entire value chain. To this end, FAO has provided training to Migros and its suppliers on solutions and strategies to prevent and reduce food waste as well as on the recovery and reuse of surplus food. FAO will continue to develop supportive training materials on the reduction of food loss and waste and to provide training for major food manufacturers, retailers and agricultural cooperatives in Turkey. LINKS “Save Your Food” campaign offers guidance on reducing food waste in the hospitality sector Changing mindsets among consumers to reduce food waste in Turkey FikrimİZ Food Entrepreneurship Programme SAVE FOOD, regional Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction FAO – Turkey Partnership Programme Sustainable Development Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns CONTACT AYLİN ALPAGUT National Communications and Partnership Specialist FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia Ankara, Turkey aylin.alpagut@fao.org

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Press Release

05 July 2021

“Save Your Food” campaign offers guidance on reducing food waste in the hospitality sector

Ankara – Reducing food waste is one of the major global challenges of our time. In Turkey alone, 19 million tonnes of food is thrown out every year, a figure that rises to around 88 million tonnes for EU countries. A significant share of food waste originates in the food service industry, including hotels, restaurants and cafes, otherwise known as the “HoReCa” sector. Structural changes in this sector are essential to reduce food waste and related costs. To fill this gap, FAO, Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and Metro Turkey have joined forces to develop guidelines for the food and hospitality sector in the form of checklists, tips, and the right knowledge and tools to reduce food loss and waste. These guidelines also provide a step-by-step map for developing a food management strategy at any restaurant and hotel to prevent excess food and avoid food wastage. As the guidelines make clear, the main areas where large amounts of food are wasted are preparation and storage. Other weak points in the food and hospitality industry include knowledge about how to process leftovers – whether in the kitchen, at buffet tables or on customers’ plates – and oversupply and overproduction due to inaccurate estimates. These issues and their negative impacts can be tackled by implementing best practices. The launch of the food loss and waste guidelines took place online and was moderated by nutrition specialist and FAO and Save Your Food campaign supporter Dilara Koçak. In her opening remarks, Sinem Türüng, CEO of Metro Turkey, explained that tackling food waste is one of the most critical components of sustainability. At Metro Turkey, she said, “we take a holistic approach to combating food waste by engaging with all of our stakeholders ranging from our employees to suppliers, producers and HoReCa operators, including our closest business partners”. She continued: “Thanks to the guidelines prepared in collaboration with Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and FAO, and together with actors in the HoReCa sector, we aim to broaden our fight against food waste. We believe that this campaign will escalate, especially as the food and drink sector is one of the most important components of the Turkish economy as well as social life. The information presented in the guidelines will give HoReCa businesses a great start in the fight against food waste, and help them set targets and develop successful food management strategies to improve their practices. With these guidelines, we invite the entire HoReCa industry to join the fight against food waste and to take action before it is too late”. Metro Turkey is a subsidiary of METRO AG, an international specialist in wholesale food committed to the resolution of the Consumer Goods Forum and a member of the 10x20x30 initiative of the World Resource Institute. The company is also actively searching for ways to achieve a 50 percent reduction in food waste across its operations by 2030. As a contribution to global commitments, Metro Turkey initiated a “Food Movement” in 2017 to raise awareness of this issue of food loss and waste and to share best practices among actors within the food and hospitality sector. At the local level, Metro Turkey supports its 21 food suppliers in the fight against food loss and waste as part of the 10X20X30 initiative. Viorel Gutu, Subregional Coordinator of Central Asia and FAO Representative in Turkey, explained that the guidelines were developed to help actors in the HoReCa sector “design broad strategies to separate and measure wasted food, train staff on specific preventive actions to minimize food waste, manage and recover unavoidable waste, and create food donation programmes. Furthermore, their dissemination among actors across the country in the food service and hospitality sector will constitute a major step in combating food waste and will have a real impact in the near future”. Ayşin Işıkgece, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey, explained that “inputs were requested from 47 different stakeholders from the food service sector during the development of the guidelines. Their importance is further accentuated by the lifting of COVID restrictions, at a time when almost 4.2 tonnes of food is wasted by every single business entity.” She further noted that the Save Your Food campaign serves two Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 2 – Zero Hunger and SDG 12 – Responsible Production and Consumption, and stated that “the government is working towards sustainability by undertaking common actions with all stakeholders, starting with FAO.” The guidelines can be downloaded for free from the Save Your Food campaign website. LINKS Changing mindsets among consumers to reduce food waste in Turkey New collaboration addresses food waste in the food and hospitality sector in Turkey Food loss and waste reduction campaign of FAO and Turkey takes off FAO – Turkey Partnership Programme Contact AYLİN ALPAGUT National Communications and Partnership Specialist FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia Ankara, Turkey aylin.alpagut@fao.org

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Press Release

01 July 2021

Changing mindsets among consumers helping to reduce food waste in Turkey

The most recent numbers show that a considerable amount of the food being wasted is generated in households. In Turkey alone, around 19 million tonnes of food gets lost or wasted every year. This highlights consumer behaviour as one of the underlying drivers of food waste globally. To ensure improvement in this area, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry last year kicked off a national media campaign named ‘Save Your Food’, as part of the SAVE FOOD: Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction, to raise awareness of the impacts of food loss and waste, to encourage action, and to promote collaboration along the food supply chain. Today, to celebrate its first anniversary, the campaign brought together numerous representatives of the private, public, and non-profit sectors, as well as from academia, who are actively working to reduce food loss and waste in Turkey. The celebration allowed parties to take stock of the campaign’s public impact and achievements to date, and to present the details of upcoming activities. So far, the campaign has seen support from several public and private partners to help realise actions outlined in Turkey’s National Strategy and Action Plan on reducing food loss and waste, and public events aiming to trigger sustainable behavioural change. It has reached over 21 million people via awareness-raising activities with the support of Istanbul and Ankara metropolitan municipalities, the Union of Municipalities of Turkey, United Nations agencies, diplomatic missions, social-impact groups, Turkey’s major players in food production, retail, and hospitality sectors, media agencies, public figures, and influencers. The engagement of partners, including the country’s largest producers and retailers, has also been essential for improving the general public’s understanding of the issue. Viorel Gutu, Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Turkey, explained at the opening: “I am pleased to confirm to you today that these activities have resulted in behavioural change, particularly in the way food is consumed.” For example, consumers have become more conscious about date labelling while shopping. More people tend to re-evaluate the leftovers and have started composting rather than throwing away food. “In addition, we have started a workshop series to encourage the integration of food-banking practices into municipalities’ social aid programmes and with this, we will both help develop their capacity to receive surplus food donations and to reach more people in need at a low cost,” Gutu added. "The Save Your Food campaign was jointly prepared with FAO and we continue to collaborate,” said Bekir Pakdemirli, Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. “To measure the campaign’s impact among households and consumers, we conducted preliminary and subsequent tests. According to the results, and the Turkish Statistical Institute's food inflation data, in one year we managed to save food worth about 100 million USD.” “Thanks to campaign messages, consumer awareness around the difference between ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates increased by 20 percent. The number of people who compost wasted food also increased from 3 to 6 percent, while a significant decline (from 22 to 13 percent) was registered in the amount of food waste from overcooking." "While we are fighting climate change, we continue to waste food, which further contributes to the climate crisis,” added Emine Erdoğan. “Not only in our country, but in every society, food is one of the fundamental elements of culture. Thankfully, the Turkish cuisine is well-known for its waste-free cooking, as leftovers are often used for other recipes. I would like to encourage all of you to go back to our traditional cooking practices, which I believe, have a significant role to play in preventing food waste.” Dilara Koçak, a renowned nutritionist and active campaign supporter, participated in the event as master of ceremony. The celebration also hosted the ‘Grown for a bin’ exhibition, featuring photos by Austrian artist Klaus Pichler, visualising the problem of food waste. The photos describe the connection between the way food is produced and distributed globally and individual wastage of food.

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Press Release

30 June 2021

Shadowing Programme 2021

Want to gain exciting insights into the world of the United Nations in Vienna? A virtual edition of the Shadowing Programme will take place from 24 October to 24 November 2021 It will offer students the opportunity to have a one-hour virtual encounter with a UN staff member and join a virtual guided tour through the Vienna International Centre (VIC) and a virtual career workshop. Staff members from a range of Vienna-based organizations including the following are joining the Shadowing Programme 2021: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - www.iaea.org Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) https://www.ctbto.org/ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) - https://www.unodc.org/ United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) – www.unoosa.org United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) – www.un.org/disarmament/vienna United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office in Austria – www.unhcr.at United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) - https://www.unido.org United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna - www.unis.unvienna.org United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Vienna Office and Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention - https://www.unep.org/ International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) - https://www.icpdr.org/main/ International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) - https://www.incb.org/ United Nations Liaison Office for Peace and Security in Vienna (UNLOPS Vienna) - https://unlops.unmissions.org/ United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) - http://www.unscear.org/ IOM Vienna Regional Office - https://rovienna.iom.int/ How to participate If you are a student who is enrolled in a Masters or a PhD programme at a university in Turkey you are invited to apply by sending an email with subject title "2021 Shadowing Programme application" to unic.ankara@unic.org with the following information in English: Name Nationality Telephone number Email address Field of study University Field of interest Name of the organizations you would like to “shadow” (first and second preference) If selected, what would you expect to get out of the Shadowing Programme? (max. 50 words) PLEASE NOTE: The number of applications that can be accepted is limited, so you are encouraged to apply as early as possible. The deadline is 17 September 2021 close of business. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Furthermore, subject to availability you might be placed with a different organization than indicated. The Shadowing Programme is not part of a recruiting process. It is an opportunity for students to gain insights into the work of a UN staff member. How to know if you are selected to participate The selection of students who can participate in the Shadowing Programme will be made after all registrations have been collected. The successful candidates will be contacted by email. The Shadowing Programme takes place to help mark United Nations Day (24 October). It is coordinated by UNIS Vienna and organized in cooperation with all participating Vienna-based organizations. The United Nations in Vienna Vienna is one of the four headquarters of the United Nations, along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi. Since its opening on 23 August 1979 the VIC has become home to several different UN organizations. More than 5,000 employees from over 125 countries work for the 16 international organizations and units of the UN in Vienna. About a third are Austrians.

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