Turkish first lady urges global standards for child online safety

NEW YORK

First lady Emine Erdoğan called for global standards to protect children online and greater accountability for technology companies during a visit to New York for the 81st U.N. General Assembly.

Speaking at a U.N. headquarters event on children’s digital safety, Erdoğan said protection should be built into systems from the outset.

“The responsibility for ensuring children’s safety belongs to all of us, not just parents,” she said.

She urged countries to develop common standards under the United Nations, backed by regular monitoring and reporting, and said technology companies and digital platforms should share responsibility for protecting children.

The event was organized under her auspices with the Family and Social Services Ministry, UNICEF and the office of the U.N. special representative on violence against children.

Erdoğan, who chairs the U.N. Advisory Board on Zero Waste, also addressed climate change and sustainable consumption during her visit.

At the opening of Climate Week NYC, she called for products designed to last longer and be repaired and reused, alongside infrastructure that makes sustainable choices easier.

Speaking separately at an International Energy Agency meeting on the energy transition, she urged a shift away from throwaway habits and single-use products.

She cited Türkiye’s goal of raising combined installed solar and wind capacity to 120,000 megawatts by 2035 and called for a greater role for zero-waste practices in the action agenda of COP31, which Türkiye will host in November.

In a video message to the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings, Erdoğan said current production and consumption systems needed to change.

“A circular economy is not one of the options before us; it is a necessity for our future,” she said.

She also held meetings at the Turkish House with the first ladies of Brazil, Sierra Leone and Kenya — Rosangela Lula da Silva, Fatima Maada Bio and Rachel Ruto. Her other meetings included talks with economist Jeffrey Sachs.