Remarks by H.E. Mr. Tofig F. Musayev

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations

at the high-level event of the General Assembly on “International Day of Zero Waste”

UNHQ, Trusteeship Council Chamber, 27 March 2026

At the outset, I would like to thank the Permanent Mission of Türkiye, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for co-organizing this important event marking the International Day of Zero Waste. We welcome Türkiye’s strong commitment to advancing the Zero Waste agenda and commend the continued leadership of H.E. Mrs. Emine Erdoğan in promoting this initiative at the global level.

This year’s focus on food waste is both timely and urgent. As highlighted by distinguished speakers, the world continues to waste an excessive amount of food, with serious implications for food security, climate, and ecosystems. Food loss and waste account for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, while also offering one of the most cost-effective and achievable opportunities for climate action.

Recognizing this, and building on previous COP processes, Azerbaijan advanced concrete solutions at COP29 through initiatives such as Reducing Methane from Organic Waste and the Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers. These efforts contribute to closing resource loops, reducing methane emissions, improving efficiency in food systems, and supporting more sustainable and resilient value chains.

2026 has been declared the “Year of Urban Planning and Architecture” in Azerbaijan. This May Azerbaijan will host the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13). Building on our successful collaboration with Türkiye under the Zero Waste initiative at COP29, we are confident that this partnership will be further strengthened at the Forum, advancing the intersection of urbanization, zero waste, and climate action in the lead-up to COP31 in Antalya.

For the first time, WUF13 will feature a Summit of Leaders dedicated to advancing people-centered, financeable, and fast-to-implement solutions for sustainable urban futures. In this regard, we value UN-Habitat’s central coordinating role in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and expect WUF13 to meaningfully contribute to key processes, including the midterm review of the Agenda and the implementation of the Pact for the Future.

Distinguished delegates, initiatives such as Zero Waste demonstrate the value of collective leadership in advancing practical and scalable solutions. In this spirit, we are confident that the address by H.E. Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, in her capacity as Chair of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, will provide renewed impetus for global efforts, particularly in the lead-up to COP31. I would like to once again thank the organizers for convening this event and wish all participants a productive and successful meeting.