First Lady Erdoğan attends “Fraternal Economy Session on Ethical Multilateralism” event at the Vatican

First Lady Emine Erdoğan attended the “Fraternal Economy Session on Ethical Multilateralism” event, hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican.

In her speech at the event, First Lady Erdoğan described humanity as a big family, saying: “Our different races, languages, cultures and faiths constitute a magnificent mosaic. The world, as a result, is becoming a more meaningful and livable place. In our faith, humans are entrusted to one another.”

First Lady Erdoğan said: “Over 150 million children left orphans. 32 million lives in Africa torn from life in crippling chronic hunger.  3.5 billion people depending on an income less than 5.5 dollars per day to survive as opposed to just 1 percent of the global population possessing half of the total global wealth. 244 million children devoid of right to education. Nearly 70 million displaced refugees. 10 million people without a home, job, school, doctor, or passport; with no capacity left for optimism. Women, men, children and families that have disappeared, whose names fill a death report of 1516 pages. Infants aged not even a year old, featuring in the 27^th page of this paper.”

Criticizing the “use and dispose” mentality, First Lady Erdoğan stated: “These are the signs showing that the system that promises us a prosperous world has indeed decayed. It doesn’t seem possible for us to build a fair world on the existing mindset or on an order that leaves the humanity stranded whenever it is put into practice. We, thus, need new solutions that would get the family of humanity back on its feet.”

“Our approach to humanity is guided by our historical experience spanning centuries. Accordingly, we have opened the doors of our country and our hearts to our neighbors since the onset of the Syrian war,” First Lady Erdoğan stated. “Today, we continue to host in our country nearly 4 million refugees. We do not force anyone to return, rather enabling those wishing to return to their home countries to do so in a voluntary, secure, and dignified manner. We are the most generous country in the world considering the national income because we have witnessed firsthand that a candle doesn’t lose any light of it by kindling another candle.”

Noting that Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of different ethnicities have lived in same neighborhoods side by side in Anatolia, First Lady Erdoğan said: “We know by experience that the erosion in multiculturalism underlies the rapidly aggravating polarization, Islamophobia and hate crimes across the world. I am thus of the opinion that we should handle with care the notion of global citizenship. Global citizenship shouldn’t be recognized as an understanding that melts differences in the same pot and blends people in one single identity.”

First Lady Erdoğan went on: “In our world where currently 7 thousand languages are being spoken, unfortunately a language disappears from the face of the earth every week. This loss means a profound impact on all cultures, with unique cultures and treasures going extinct. We should therefore make sure that global citizenship takes on a new meaning.” 

Touching upon the Zero Waste Movement launched in Türkiye in 2017 and has turned into a global movement by the United Nations resolution, First Lady Erdoğan said: “The starting point of our Zero Waste Project is our loyalty to humanity. We regard this issue not only as an environmental responsibility but also as a test we should pass successfully to ensure justice among societies and generations. Without doubt, this perspective is also directly related to our belief that the nature is a divine responsibility. Therefore, I think that we should start a comprehensive transformation of mentality towards the climate change issue. Global commitments will be nothing but mere documents so long as we reject to see the nature as a raw material depot and forge a connection with it based on respect. Yet, if we manage to combine the technic with divine teachings, we can then achieve a major success for the history of humanity.”

Noting that the humanity is going through a period when path-breaking technological developments such as information technologies, space technologies and artificial intelligence have gained momentum, First Lady Erdoğan stated: “We are working to ensure equal access to technology for all. However, we advocate that technology should be generated with an understanding that it has to serve humanity, respect local values, and promote an environment of tolerance. Yet again, it is clear that whether it be digital transformation, environment, or the political atmosphere, our aim should be to gather everyone around a common denominator of equal prosperity.”

Highlighting the motto, “the world is bigger than five,” and “a fairer world is possible,” which President Erdoğan frequently voices at international platforms, First Lady Erdoğan stated: “This is a manifesto of the innocent “left behind” in the world. This is a call for a major global justice. This is a vision that calls on everyone to value all people unconditionally and view everyone’s interests as our own. I hope that this vision becomes our collective window through which we look at the world. That is so because only then can we satisfy the deep longing the humanity feels for fraternity.”