Turkish First Lady calls for peace to become 'prevailing force'

Türkiye's first lady, Emine Erdogan, has called for peace to become the "prevailing force", adding that humanity cannot endure more conflict and wars.

"Humanity can no longer endure more conflict and war. On the contrary, it now expects areas of cooperation to be established, uncertainty to be resolved, and peace to become the prevailing force," Erdogan said in an address to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (AFD) on Saturday.

Emphasising that the ADF has again addressed a significant issue this year, "Advancing Diplomacy in a Fragmented World," she said it calls attention to the peaceful power of diplomacy during a time of global fractures.

Highlighting the increasing need for diplomacy in a world growing more divided by polarisation, wars and humanitarian crises, Erdogan said: "That is why, through this forum, we will invite international actors to build a world where peace and just order allow everyone to thrive. Through the unifying power of diplomacy, we will work to bridge long-standing divides among people, and we will offer humanity a revival of the culture of tolerance."

She noted that simply having basic literacy skills could lift 171 million people out of extreme poverty, referring to a UNESCO study.

She underlined that every educated individual can become a transformative force, create a wide sphere of influence, uplift their family and community and act as a driving force for sustainability by passing knowledge and skills to future generations.

Children in war zones

Drawing attention to the fact that millions of children in war zones still cannot access even the most basic human right, education, Erdogan said: "It is with deep sorrow that I say this: in a world where we cannot even offer children the right to live, the right to education falls far behind. In Palestine, children not only can't go to school or think freely, they say into microphones, 'I want to die because I'm tired of living in war.'"

"Our world has become a place where even the youngest children are burdened with profound grief, where their joy for life is crushed. We must remind the paralysed conscience of humanity that children can never be parties to war," she said.

"Let us not forget: a world where children are killed by bombs and missiles in their sleep has forever lost its innocence. I dream of a world where conflicts are over, where children know no feeling but joy, and where the only thing they carry on their backs is a schoolbag—not the weight of sorrow," she added.

The wives of the Azerbaijan president, former president of Croatia, Sierre Leone's president, Palestinian prime minister and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus president attended the programme.