UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community on Wednesday to “end the destructive cycle of waste.”
During an event commemorating the March 30 International Day of Zero Waste held at UN headquarters, Guterres sent a video message.
He began by expressing gratitude to Türkiye and its first lady Emine Erdogan for their vision and leadership.
“Our planet is drowning under a torrent of trash,” Guterres said, emphasizing that besides the known impacts, this situation leads to disease and death.
“Overconsumption is killing us. Humanity needs an intervention,” he added.
Ligia Noronha, UN Assistant Secretary-General and head of the New York Office of the UN Environment Program (UNEP), delivered the opening speech at the event, saying that waste “has only grown stronger since the inception of this (Zero Waste) initiative.”
