Gaziantep-Led City Network Launches at COP31 to Measure Food Waste
COP 31 Presidency Events • United NationsNovember 12, 2026
Locunity is an independent informational service and is not an official government page for this commission. All information is sourced from public footage and an analysis of official agendas with the aid of responsible, fact-checked AI. to report an error or omission.
Four founding cities and 16 member cities launched a new network on Nov. 12, 2026, at the COP31 Presidency Events. Its goal is to measure how much food professional kitchens throw away and show results within a year. The Circular Food Systems and Gastronomy Cities Initiative (ICFG) passed no binding rules and took no votes. Instead, it set a public test: the cities are expected to bring measured data to COP32.
- ICFG launches with 4 founding and 16 member cities. Gaziantep, Konya, Belém and Parma lead the effort.
- One-year clock: cities will measure kitchen waste and plan to report results at COP32.
- FAO, UN-Habitat and UNEP pledged technical support. Türkiye's foreign ministry also backed the launch.
- Hatay's mayor pushed back on the focus, saying climate-driven field losses matter more than kitchen waste.
- Turkish mayors showcased their own programs, including biogas, zero-waste markets and waste-oil collection.
The basics: ICFG brings together cities known for their food and cooking. Each city works with professional kitchens to measure waste, set prevention strategies based on that data and track the impact. A film shown at the launch described the model. Gaziantep, Konya, Belém and Parma founded the network, and 16 cities are now members.
Get reports in your inbox
Follow this commission for free and get the next report delivered by email. You'll be able to access the full archive, get real-time updates, and track the topics or keywords you care about most.