77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
The Role of Zero Waste as a Transformative Solution in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
Statement by Estonia
30 March 2023, New York
Madame Vice-President, Mr. Secretary-General, H.E. First Lady Erdogan, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
Estonia aligns itself with the statement made by the EU, but I would like to make some additional remarks in my national capacity.
First, I would like to thank Türkiye and the First Lady Erdogan for leading this initiative.
The International Day of Zero Waste is a great opportunity to elevate the zero waste movement around the world. This day allows us to acknowledge the work that Member States and the civil society has been doing for decades to engage local, regional, and national governments, and the private sector for sustainable use of resources. Also, it highlights the need to move towards circular economy, including at the upcoming sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly.
We see that this day is an opportunity for the Member States to include circular economy and zero waste actions to their priorities globally and internally.
In Estonia, the zero waste work builds on the know-how of the International Zero Waste Alliance and focuses on training Zero Waste Ambassadors and on how to school Zero Waste Trainers internationally. Our aim is to scale up competences needed to support municipalities in their zero waste journey and to educate people in zero waste topics. By the end of this year, the Estonian zero waste community alone will exceed a hundred trained public officers, activists and entrepreneurs who are well connected and familiar with the competences needed for making zero waste a reality.
This work has already generated several cities´ interest to obtain a Zero Waste Cities Certification that is codified by Zero Waste Europe. This practice has created movement in Estonia and in other countries. It is important to learn from each other, as well as engage even more.
Finally, I would like to highlight that zero waste is not just about waste. Zero waste helps us to preserve natural resources and serves to protect the environment, which makes it a crucial common goal for all of us.
Thank you!