ANKARA

Turkey's first lady called on the international community Monday to act quickly for a solution to recent environmental challenges. 

Emine Erdogan sent a video message to the opening ceremony of a World Habitat Day celebration event held in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, upon an invitation by the Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN‐Habitat) Maimunah Mohd Sharif.

Celebrating World Habitat Day, which is held on the first Monday of October every year, Erdogan said: "The environmental problem is a vital issue like the air we breathe and the water we drink. It is our common responsibility to prevent it from being a crisis."

Projections that urban populations, which today make up 55% of people worldwide, will represent 70% by 2050 points to the need for urgent solutions to reduce carbon emissions, Erdogan noted.

Urging all countries to act together in the face of this issue that she said threatens the future of the world, Erdogan said: "A global action plan needs to be implemented immediately.”

She added that the Turkish government, civil soiety, and businesses are ready to cooperate on a global scale for all kinds of environmental efforts to reduce the effects of climate change.

The UN designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of humanity's habitats and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter, the international body says on its official website.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz