Kulakkaya Climate Summit Co-Organized by BAU and the UN Held

The "Kulakkaya Climate Summit," co-organized by Bahçeşehir University and the United Nations, was held with the participation of UN Assistant Secretary-General Nikhil Seth and Enver Yücel, Chairman of BAU Global and of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) International Training Center Türkiye.

The "Kulakkaya Climate Summit" was held on the Kulakkaya Plateau, one of Giresun's most important tourist destinations. The climate summit began with a tree-planting ceremony and continued with opening speeches following the ribbon cutting. At the summit, co-organized by Bahçeşehir University and the United Nations, proposed solutions to the global climate problem and agricultural issues in Türkiye were discussed. Speaking at the summit, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Nikhil Seth stated that, through its efforts to prevent climate change, Türkiye holds an exemplary position among the countries of the world.

Giresun Mayor Aytekin Şenlikoğlu, Ordu Metropolitan Mayor Dr. Mehmet Hilmi Güler, Giresun Governor Enver Ünlü, AK Party Deputy Chairman Nurettin Canikli, BAU Global Chairman Enver Yücel and Dr. Ayşegül Selışık, Assistant Representative in Türkiye of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Subregional Office for Central Asia, also delivered speeches at the summit.

"TÜRKİYE HOLDS AN EXEMPLARY POSITION"

Referring to Türkiye's importance in the fight against the climate crisis, UN Assistant Secretary-General Seth said: "Every country is making a significant effort to prevent climate change. Like every country, Türkiye has a leadership quality in this area and is a model country. Türkiye has taken an important stance by preparing to sign the Paris Agreement. All of Türkiye also needs to be aware of climate change. Education is very important at this point; it shapes and changes the behavior of both citizens and students. That is why the work of BAU Global Chairman Enver Yücel is extremely valuable and important. We can only solve climate change if we act collectively."

"EVERY SCHOOL SHOULD HAVE A CURRICULUM ON CLIMATE"

Noting the importance of raising awareness of climate change through education, Seth said: "We have a partnership with Bahçeşehir University, and our hope is that every school will have a curriculum on climate. If teachers draw attention to the terrible consequences of climate change, students will recognize and internalize the problem. The problem we face is extremely serious. Society also has duties. Indeed, the media has a very important role in better informing the public and citizens about the consequences and impact of climate change. Citizens need to reduce waste and energy use and be encouraged to use renewable energy, especially solar energy. There is great potential for progress in combating climate change, and we must move forward."

"WE TEACH CLIMATE AWARENESS"

Enver Yücel, BAU Global Chairman and host of the program, stated that the climate summit held on the Kulakkaya Plateau has goals related to sustainable development: "We want to convey awareness about climate. We teach it in our schools from an early age. We teach our children topics such as 'What are the sustainable development goals and how should they be achieved?' starting in kindergarten. We will also hold meetings on climate and climate change together with our university's faculty members, students and non-governmental organizations."

"WE ARE ALSO WORKING IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE"

Providing information about the agricultural work carried out in Giresun, Yücel said: "The pandemic brought to the present the changes in the world that might perhaps have happened 15–20 years from now. It showed us that people around the world need to take measures related to agriculture, sustainable development and climate. As a university, we are creating an agricultural application area in Giresun. Through it, we want to increase the interest of both the public and young people in agriculture. Türkiye's agricultural activities need to be much better. This is also the duty of universities: in addition to education, they must guide society's problems and open up new avenues."

In addition to the UN, the relevant ministries and institutions came together at the summit to address the "climate crisis."

The summit organized by Bahçeşehir University was attended by UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNITAR Executive Director Nikhil Seth; BAU Global Chairman Enver Yücel; Alex Mejia, Director of UNITAR's Division for People and Social Inclusion and Head of the CIFAL Global Network; Dr. Ayşegül Selışık, Assistant Representative in Türkiye of the FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia; Prof. Dr. Mikdat Kadıoğlu, faculty member in Meteorology and Disaster Management at İTÜ; representatives of the UN Türkiye delegation and institutions working on the Sustainable Development Goals; local administrators; and academics.