Nino Tandilashvili: “Georgia Is Taking Significant Steps Toward Sustainable Management of Food and Water Waste”

The First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mrs Nino Tandilashvili, attended the Ministerial meeting “Preventing Food and Water Waste – Owning the Future" in Istanbul and participated in a panel discussion. She highlighted the legislative and structural reforms Georgia has undertaken in recent years.

 
“Georgia is taking important steps toward the sustainable management of food and water resources waste. The Law on ‘Reducing Food Loss and Waste and on Food Donation’, in force since 2023, establishes a comprehensive framework that ensures the reduction of food loss, promotes food donation, and supports the efficient use of water resources. At the same time, the water resources management reform implemented by Georgia, based on the EU Water Framework Directive-introduces a river-basin-based management model. The new legislation ensures fair and safe use of water resources. Georgia is creating an integrated and sustainable system that reduces food and water waste and ensures access to safe food and water for the population,” noted Tandilashvili.

The Mnisterial meeting was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey and held under the patronage of Turkey’s First Lady, Mrs Emine Erdoğan.
 

The event was convened in the context of UN General Assembly resolutions adopted in 2022 and 2023, which identify zero waste and food waste prevention as key priorities of the 2030 Agenda. As part of the implementation of these resolutions, an advisory board was established, chaired by Turkey’s First Lady, Mrs Emine Erdoğan. At her initiative, the international Zero Waste Fund was created in 2023 to support the dissemination and exchange of innovative knowledge and to strengthen international cooperation at the local, national, and global levels.

 
High-level officials from various countries attended the panel discussion in Istanbul, including the agriculture Ministers of Italy, Spain, Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, and Azerbaijan. Participants discussed modern models of effective food and water resource management, waste reduction initiatives, and the importance of integrating these efforts into the sustainable development agenda.