Türkiye carries out its part for bright future in terms of SDGs and MDGs

Dalai Lama said, “Time’s always moving on. Nothing can stop it. The question is whether we use our time well or not. We can't do anything about the past, but what happens in the future depends on what we do now”. One of the greatest ways to design the future we want is SDGs. On the other hand, There is reality covering the challenges of governance for sustainable development in a globalizing world are real and many. National governments must coordinate policy development and implementation with diverse actors — businesses, local governments, regional/international institutions, and civil society organizations.

The article, “'Türkiye's Sustainable Future Vision,', written for UK-based Daily Express newspaper by Fahrettin Altun who is Turkey's Communications Director covered the role of Türkiye reaching the goal calling sustainable future. The article comes in the part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's participation in the G20 Leaders’ Summit in India. Fahrettin Altun emphasized the crux is grappling with the climate crisis and biodiversity. He stated that climate change causes global problems and also, it enhances the cost to address it like extreme weather events, and immigration. Altun added that Türkiye has dived in working in alignment with the SDGs and MDGs to set up a more bright and sustainable future for the next generations not only in Türkiye but also in the world. 

He also has detailed what these works are about. The first part of these works is relevant to environment and biodiversity. He emphasized that under the leadership of President Erdogan, Türkiye has been working harshly to maintain the good condition of the Türkiye’s environment, including rivers, seas, biodiversity, and forests. For example, in recent years Türkiye aggressively has striven to integrate renewable sources into the energy supply despite the opposition within the country. To be honest, It is not easy work to integrate renewable energy into the energy supply in developing countries. On the other hand, Türkiye has overcome these challenges thanks to the strong leader is being called Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Türkiye approximately 54 percent of the electric generation is derived from renewable sources while ensuring energy supply security for both the industry and households. Fahrettin Altun said “In recent years, our government has ramped up its tax and investment incentives to increase renewables. Our efforts have made our country the fifth-largest producer of renewable energy in Europe and the twelfth-largest globally.”. Moreover, Türkiye has granted incentives to the industry to adopt energy-efficient technologies and practices like tax incentives, and low-interest loans for investments in energy-saving equipment and processes.

Türkiye has gone up to 27th place in 2020 from 46th place in 2015 in the context of forest assets. Türkiye has become the top country in Europe in terms of forest area based on the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization data.

In the context of goal 6 is being called “Clean Water and Sanitation” and goal 14 is being called “Live Below Water”, Türkiye has implemented new programs and campaigns to make people become aware of the importance of water management. Also, there is one more work have to be covered is “zero-waste” initiative is launched by the Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan in 2017. The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution on a "zero-waste" initiative presented by Türkiye.

Finally, Fahrettin Altun said “At the end of the day, the world is a vast village, and no single power can alone overcome humanity's challenges. It is incumbent upon us all to work together to reach and hopefully exceed our common goals with the urgency imposed upon us by our environment.”. It indicates that SDGs are not the future goal achieved individually.