UN-Habitat, Türkiye host press briefing on World Cities Day

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) - UN-Habitat and Türkiye hosted a press briefing on World Cities Day 2023 and new zero-waste initiatives on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday.

The press conference was about the planned global observance of World Habitat Day 2023 under the theme “Financing sustainable urban development for all,” which will take place in Istanbul, Türkiye on Oct. 31 with the announcements of the upcoming zero-waste initiatives.

The event will be held under the patronage of Türkiye's first lady Emine Erdogan.

“Cities are centers of economic growth and development. However, they are also demographic, environmental, economic and social challenges," said the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Maimunah Mohd Sharif.

"We will celebrate World Cities Day in the municipality of Uskudar in Istanbul, and the conversation will be about financing sustainable development," she said.

"We need transformative action in cities to achieve progress, and cities need resources and tools. That is why with World Cities Day, we will address the financing of sustainable urban development."

Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Mehmet Ozhaseki said the United Nations-Habitat office will be located in Türkiye.

"On the 6th of February, we lost over 50,000 people in the earthquakes (in Türkiye), of which the epicenter was (in) Kahramanmaras province, which affected 10 provinces and 14 million people," Ozhaseki said.

He added that the priority task is to provide housing for those citizens who have lost their homes.

"We are facing on one hand to rebuild the cities anew, and on the other, we are also paying attention that the houses are reliable, resilient and also we are trying to design cities with a small cities concept, where a zero waste understanding is implemented at all."

UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities.